Pyrrhic Victory
by Mandarins
Summary: In a world where Haruno Sakura was attuned to blood and the battlefield, nothing could have prepared her for the attention of one with piercing sharingan-eyes and another with a lazy mop of red hair. Non-Massacre / No Second Shinobi World War / Same Age Rival AU ?
1. Chapter 1

And the day started relatively peacefully, Sakura surmised humorlessly.

Team 7 was not assigned to another mission after having just returned from one. Rather, the team was engaged in a _friendly_ spar that night and it had to be limited to taijutsu – as per Mikoto's warning – at the Uchiha's private training ground. It was Sasuke's turn to have the team dinner and it was easier to train nearby than having to walk to the opposite side of town then back to the Uchiha compound.

The team was on their road back to true friendship. It was not like Team 10, where communication was established from clan ties and friendship built through generations. Or even like Team 8, where the humble personality of Hyūga Hinata balanced the contrasting natures of her loud dog-companion and the quiet bug-user. No, Team 7 was ripping at the seams, from their spirit of competition and years of separation.

Sure, they were all friends. But they weren't _good_ friends (at least not yet) and by no means were they yielding the best results. Team 7 was comprised of the nine-tailed Jinchūriki, the second-in-line to the Uchiha patriarch, and a pink-haired kunoichi who was _trying_.

It was inevitable that Naruto, being the Hokage's son, would seek training beyond his assigned Jounin mentor. And it was foreseen that Sasuke would do the same, although surprisingly with Kakashi, it was written in the cards that Uchiha were simply better than the rest.

Their bonds endured the time apart, but not as a team. Sasuke and Naruto continued to have a certain link that kept their friendship/rivalry continually reinvigorated, not space nor time ever breaking their reserve. They still regarded her as their friend, but Sakura could see right through it. When they did visit the village during their break in training, it was often in one another's company without the need of her presence.

Without a teacher or even a teammate in the _same_ village as her, Sakura could not allow herself to stay stagnant. It was with a renewed vigor that she fought for an apprenticeship with the famed Sannin, Lady Tsunade. The blonde's medical techniques developed during the Second Shinobi War infinitely helped the Village Hidden in the Land of Fire. And Sakura was proud to call herself the prodigal student to the Legendary Medic-nin.

A year into her training and her teammates had yet to return.

Haruno Sakura hummed as she healed patients during her shift at the hospital. It was rather obvious that Tsunade was becoming antsy to share her responsibilities at the hospital, from her prolonged absences (which both students knew were spent with the Hokage-in-training, Katō Dan). While Tsunade headed the hospital and Shizune was another doctor, Sakura was well on her way to becoming one of the best seconded only by her teacher. This caught the attention of Obito's rather extroverted girlfriend, Nohara Rin.

Rin was by no means on par with Tsunade, in terms of healing. And yet there was medium where no one else came close: poisons. Apprentice to two amazing women, Sakura was well on her to making a name on her own – childhood musings of ramen and Uchiha Neko a distant memory.

Sakura was loyal to a fault and a part of her knew, that if they really called for her help, she would be willing to within seconds. At the end of the day, they were still her teammates and she would not abandon them.

It was at Minato's insistence that Team 7 reunite, once all members returned to Konoha. Naruto stood between his two teammates, slapping Sasuke on the back in greeting and turning to wrap his arm around Sakura's shoulders. He was always the charismatic one. If anyone could fix their fragmented team, it was Naruto.

A year into the entire team's return and Team 7 was recovering from the lost time. They were slowly getting back on track, back to the mirthful feeling of their Genin days. This was established from Naruto's insistence team dinners every week, training during off days, and other team-related activities. Sakura, from a year prior, would have scoffed or even questioned the effort. But it was obvious that Naruto's attempts were genuine and they were even _working._

Sakura distinctly remembered the night Sasuke left, professing her childish infatuation for him and Sasuke simply walking away, not sparing her a response in the least. It was unsaid, but both members knew to simply forget about that particular instance and never speak of it again. It made for an awkward Sakura and an aloof Sasuke, but it went away overtime.

The situation was only made further laughable at the fact that the two young males were both still Genin, something that could only be fixed with the distant Chūnin exams. Most of the other Genin were much younger, around Academy age, but that did not stop the powerhouse boys from continually training for the exam.

It was clear to everyone that both Sasuke and Naruto would take the exams at first chance, meaning they would enter together and would have a high-chance of fighting one another as the final battle.

But that was a problem for future Sakura.

They were training taijutsu the night before it all went to hell. Sakura's enhanced punches and kicks unfortunately falling under that category and forcing the boys to play on the defensive for once.

Sakura could clearly remember their faces of surprise at their first sparring session after returning - all three of them were pitted against Kakashi-sensei in another bell-test. They had the more flashy types of jutsu, but it was Sakura who rocked the ground. Effortlessly cracking it in two pieces and forcing Kakashi out of his spot hidden underground. Sasuke activated his Sharingan instantaneously and Naruto was quickly making different hand-seals, no longer ignoring Sakura's immense chakra control.

The boys knew better, by now, not to underestimate the pinkette's right-hook. However, they _did not_ know better, in terms of underestimating her overall ability. Sakura knew they cared for her, but that possessive nature that screamed _testosterone_ annoyed her to no end. For some missions, they had the guile to request a different member to complete Team 7 and Sakura had half the mind to catch up to them and rip them limb from limb.

Unaware of the situation, Sakura did stalk to the Uchiha compound that particular morning, to find out _exactly_ why both her teammates were missing from training. It was Itachi who opened the door, impassive face quickly morphing into a kinder one at seeing her, but making her aware of his younger brother's status on a mission. But it was Uchiha Mikoto who urged the pinkette inside, trying to placate her feelings of being left behind.

Itachi offered her a seat at their table and a cup of tea, as the two Uchiha's sat with the angered pinkette.

It was strange to Sakura, that she was so much more comfortable with her teammate's family than the actual person. She rarely ever saw Sasuke, they continually protected her in missions and made sure to make himself scarce while in the village.

It was more often than not that Itachi requested her presence on his ANBU team, her skill as a medical ninja unparalleled other than her mentor herself. And with her usual team out of the village, he had no one contesting his requests other than other teams who would also request her (but Itachi _had rank_ anyway, so most tried not to even fight it). And with this, came the constant close contact of the older Uchiha, along with his strangely exuberant teammates: Shisui and Genma.

 _But it wasn't like she didn't want to go with them._

They just refused to have her.

She knew better than to confide this thought with Genma, who she was friends with but not necessarily close to. Or either Uchiha, who would to be loyal to Sasuke to a fault.

But she was reaching her breaking point.

"Believe me, it must be an inherited trait." Mikoto reasoned, "They care about you, maybe too much. And want to ensure your safety by staying here in the village."

"Or maybe they think I'm just too weak to be brought on an A-rank mission." Sakura bitterly spit out.

"We both know you are more than capable of an S-rank." Itachi's statement rang in the air, the unspoken words at the end being:

 _So why do you care about their opinion?_

Sakura frowned, unsure what to say at Itachi's stated fact. It was no secret that the pinkette often joined his team on missions when requested, but her _own teammates_ refused to see even the facts. She was a medic-nin, apprentice to one of the strongest kunoichi's on the planet, and yet a simple a-rank mission was seemingly too much to bring the poor pink-haired girl on.

Sakura nearly snarled at the thought, Itachi pouring more tea into her cup once he spied her angered expression. It was strange, how the older Uchiha had his own personal way of calming her down. But after being in her acquaintance for more than a year, those type of things were easier to pickup.

She appreciated their company and talked more about other topics, such as town gossip (to which Itachi promptly found his attention leaving the entire compound) and such. Sakura later bowed to the Uchiha matriarch and her oldest son, then left the main house feeling better from Mikoto's words and Itachi's reassurance.

"Do you still desire to meet-up for lunch tomorrow?" Itachi asked at the door, as Sakura was slipping on her shoes.

Putting on a brave smile, Sakura affirmed. "Sure."

Her relationship with the older Uchiha was an unsteady one. Yes, they seemed to care about one another's well-being, but that was sorely limited to missions. And while they did meet on unofficial terms, such as sharing a lunch here and there, it made Sakura question what they truly were. With someone who seemed like a complete foil to herself - one so stoic and hardened in nature - it made Sakura doubt herself on multiple occasions.

But that was a problem for a different time.

Her mind was angered, completely incensed from her so called _teammates_ leaving her behind on a mission. But her heart, it was torn at being valued as someone easily pushed to the side.

It was hard not to harbor resentment to her teammates, but it was deeply rooted from their Academy days. That feeling of low self-worth seemed eradicated in her time training, but at the full appearance of Team 7, it was like each member reverted back beyond their maturity. Sakura knew to fight the bitter taste at this fact, but it was becoming more and more obvious with each mission. Unlike what she thought of herself, Sakura would simply stay quiet at the fact, mildly excusing their behavior time and time again. But, there was no lie, each time chipped away at her heart.

It was only a matter of time until she burst.

Sakura woke abruptly to the tapping on her window, an ANBU messenger from the Hokage which screamed emergency. She bounded out of bed and within minutes she was running to the Hokage tower.

She and Sasuke arrived at the same time, nodding to each other in greeting before entering the room to see Naruto and Kakashi-sensei already there.

Minato waited until all members were standing at full attention in front of his desk, "We received an emergency scroll, you are needed immediately in the retrieval of the jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku."

Naruto tensed at the mention of Gaara, a fellow jinchūriki who was also sealed as a child. They were unspoken friends, Sakura learned from Naruto's travels. "His brother was attacked and poisoned, but none of their medics can neutralize it." The Hokage directed at Sakura, who nodded at the implication.

"When do we leave?" The anger radiating from the blond was extremely palpable and Sakura shared a look with Kakashi, signaling one of their silent conversations that more often than not, happened between the two tactical members of the team.

Kakashi nodded at the pinkette, before affirming, "If this enemy is after a jinchūriki, is it safe…"

Minato sighed, his frown making a grim line. Naruto was about to interrupt, about to fight that line of reasoning before Sasuke raised his arm to stop the blond. "You may need the power of another jinchūriki in case the situation goes beyond your control." Minato explained, tossing the scroll to Kakashi signaling that the conversation was over.

Kakashi grabbed it without problem, opening it to read and stating, "We'll meet in 15 at the gates."

The travel from the rich forest of Konohagakure to the desert plains of Sunagakure demanded three days' worth of travel, without rest and at a constant run of proficient ninjas.

Team 7 made it in 60 hours.

But when Haruno Sakura diagnosed Kankurō's condition, she wished they made it to Suna even faster. It was surmised that the poison left three days for the user to suffer before perishing, meaning that she had, at most, half a day left to neutralize it and find an antidote. That, or else, Sakura did not want to know the other implication.

The team was met at the village gates by Temari and two other jounin, who quickly broke out in a run in the direction of the hospital. Lady Chiyo, her own mentor's rival, was already in Kankurō's room. The elder was able to summarize what Suna had attempted in order to save Kankurō, however in vain.

"Please, stand-aside." Sakura directed to the other members of her team, who could only sit and watch Sakura's process.

Sakura took a personal over-view of Kankurō's condition, even though one was supplied on the chart. Something must have been missing, for Suna not to be able to even make an antidote after two days. Listening to his heavy breathing, Sakura was able to discern the heavy amount of poison within the puppeteer's lungs. However, from the report, it seemed Kankurō was slashed in the chest. But, it was easily discernible that this was no ordinary deep-cut. Upon further inspection, Sakura found the remnants of what she was looking for exactly.

The pinkette grabbed a tong supplied from the medical table, carefully making sure not to bring harm to Kankurō or the evidence. "Snake's tooth." Sakura raised at eye-view, directed toward the shinobi from Suna.

"He was attacked by someone who utilizes poisonous snakes." Sakura deducted, seeing the astonished faces of the other shinobi around her. "This is up to your people to ponder, about potential enemies and such. But we need to focus on saving Kankurō right now."

One of the medics assigned to Sakura nodded, taking the evidence and sealing it, undoubtedly to be preserved and analyzed.

"The poison is refined with heavy metals, which is meant to get into the muscles and destroy the cells of the host."

Temari sucked in a breathe, "So how do we save him?"

"I can't make an antidote right now." Sakura paused, "We'll have to extract the poison from him directly. Can you bring me the following items?"

The other members of Team 7 watched helplessly as their only female teammate neutralized the puppeteer's state. It was surprising, that even a poisoned Kankurō was able to fight against Sakura's hold. It made the boys wonder, that even in his near-death state, if the healing itself was so painful that he gained the strengthen from pure adrenaline to fight back.

Sasuke closed his eyes to tune out Kankurō's loud groans of pain and Naruto was later kicked out from the building floor for pacing too much. Kakashi only watched with a knowing eye. Both boys were such powerhouses, so willing and able to destroy. But Sakura, she helped people live. He could discern Sasuke's twitching hand, one that signified that he was entirely too anxious.

"Does she come from a clan?" Lady Chiyo asked, obviously directed to the shinobi from Konoha, the only ones who could answer her question. The elder from Suna was sat at the opposite end of the row of chairs.

"No." Kakashi replied, "But she is Tsunade's apprentice."

Lady Chiyo scoffed and crossed her arms, "I should have figured, that old hag." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the implication, but did not say anything.

"Ah." Kakashi remembered, "Old rivals, it seems?" Lady Chiyo did not respond.

They were already a few hours into the procedure and Kakashi had to forced his eyes away from them. Kakashi offered to maybe get something to eat or even join Naruto outside, but Sasuke kept his eyes trained on Sakura and she continued saving Kankurō. The silver-haired man inwardly sighed, putting his arm on Sasuke's shoulder as he stood-up from his seat, and walked away.

Naruto was not surprised to see Kakashi slowly descending down the stairs, but _was_ surprised to see he was without Sasuke. He knew his sensei would need some respite from the tense condition upstairs, but _Sasuke?_ Even as the Uchiha's best friend, there were only a few concrete facts that the blond knew about him.

It was fairly obvious how easily Sasuke was swayed by competition, Naruto inwardly chuckled at his own brand of evil toward the duck-haired man. He always tried to act so cool, but Naruto knew better from his friend. Another known fact was how silently loyal Sasuke is - to his family, and teammates. It was no surprise, to anyone really, how much he treasured his mother and older brother.

Naruto knew better than _anyone,_ of Sasuke's strange feelings toward Sakura. Naruto, from their early Academy days, knew that he personally loved Sakura. Being placed on the same team deepened his friendship with the pinkette, but Naruto could stop the pure anguish at leaving her behind in Konoha. This was just something he _had_ to do. But Sasuke? Surely, Sakura had a hold on him as well (to what degree, Naruto was unsure). But he was able to see what she could not, Sasuke's lingered looks and possessive nature which was something mutually exclusive only to the pinkette. There was no question in Naruto's mind that Sasuke held a special place for Sakura, even after all this time.

Which was why Naruto was _not_ surprised to hear that Sasuke decided to stay with Sakura, watching over her as the delicate procedure pressed on for the entire day.

The two were then called by Suna Jōnin, to help aid the delegation that was investigating Kankurō's assailant. At least now there was something to do, hunting down the almost-murderer, Kakashi mused.

"He's out of critical condition now." Sakura stated firmly, wiping the sweat off her brow as Temari backed away from the table, until she hit the wall behind and collapse onto the floor. Her brother was only a few hours from death's door, saved only by a small pink-haired kunoichi from Konoha.

Sasuke got up from his spot, after hours of just waiting and watchingand stood a good meter away from his teammate. He was watching her, still, in his own little strange way of caring for her. Sasuke made sure to stay close, remembering Sakura's constant over-working even back home, just in case she would need him.

"Suna will remember what you have done for us." Lady Chiyo thankfully stated.

"Konoha will always be there for its allies." Sakura smiled, not stopping from cleaning the medical tools she used.

Chiyo did not hesitate, "We will not forget _you_."

That caused Sakura to pause in her motions, "It's my duty as a medical-ninja to always help those in need."

Lady Chiyo smiled in response, nothing less than from that big-boobed hag's apprentice. Chiyo was one of the many, in the Second Shinobi World War, to have seen Tsunade's unprecedented power in healing. Her long-time rival was always quick to neutralize her own poisons during the war, it was rather strange to see it being used in _their aid_.

Sakura walked over to Temari, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder with a smile. "He'll be okay, don't worry."

"We owe you our lives. You have no idea how much I thank you for just being here." Temari shuddered out, the edges of her anxiety still evident from the intense situation.

"Don't be afraid to call me." Sakura responded, lending a hand to help the blonde up from her spot.

"Rooms in the Hokage tower have been procured for you. You need to rest, the first 24-hours after this will be critical." Lady Chiyo explained.

"Thank you, I'm sure my teammates will appreciate it." Sakura thanked, "But the enemy is still out there and we can't do this entire process again if a whole squad gets poisoned." She eyed at least six different bowls filled to the brim, from only one person.

"Sakura." Sasuke stated her name only, but she was able to discern the question in his limited vernacular.

"Believe me, I'll be fine. We can't waste any time now, the enemy is still out there." Sakura then turned to Lady Chiyo, "Do you mind leading me to your poisons department?"

Chiyo nodded, the pinkette following along with Sasuke a little ways behind her.

* * *

It was strange to see someone, who resembled her long-time rival, giving aid to Suna. There was no doubt in Lady Chiyo's mind now, that this was Tsunade's prized apprentice. The pinkette's determination radiated from her spot in the greenhouse, mixing ingredients and discerning how to break down the poison. Sakura was quickly able to figure out the base, it was only a matter of hours that she would have a antidote.

Which is why Chiyo was the only one _not_ surprised to later see Haruno Sakura, stepping into the room for the Gaara retrieval delegation, with a complete ingredient list for the antidote and even the make-up of the poison.

A few of the top-ranking shinobi from Suna and the aid group from Konoha were gathered together to hunt down the possible perpetrators. While this would have been near impossible in the past, the group had an even rarer situation that called for their mutual planning.

"I was able to neutralize the effects of the poison," Sakura paused, "But I wanted you to take a personal look at this in the case it would help narrowing someone down."

Chiyo looked at the list, there were various ingredients indigenous only to Suna. That narrowed it to someone in the Land of Wind, but even an assumption like that was not concrete. However, there was something _too_ familiar regarding the make-up of the antidote and the poison, like she had seen it before.

"There's something about this that I've seen before." Chiyo commented, deep in thought and handing it to a red-haired shinobi standing behind her.

His eyes widened in recognition before he placated it back to his usual lazy gaze, "Of course you have. This is mine." The entire delegation paused from their various spots to look at the shinobi with a mop of red-hair.

"It's not logged in the hospital." One of the Suna shinobi commented.

"Yes, it is. With a full ingredient list and all." The red-head bit back, "I haven't made it in years, since I only used it one-time."

"You made a poison so deadly?"

"Even a small amount in the bloodstream was enough to kill a person. You could only imagine what kind of mission I was commissioned on." He lazily replied, no longer interested in the other Shinobi's anger.

Angered further by the disinterest, the Shinobi then turned to the one Sakura recognized as the one in charge of the hospital. "Even on file, you could not discern the symptoms of one of our own poisons?"

"Rasa." Chiyo reprimanded, attempting to curb his anger. "We almost lost your son today, almost. He is still alive now. We need to focus on saving your other son." Rasa, now identified, huffed and turned away.

"In addition to that, I wanted to capture any remnants of what I could find from the assailant." Sakura started, "I found this among Kankurō's puppets." She held, in an enclosed clear-bag, a scale undoubtedly from a snake.

The Third-Kazekage took a deep breath, "This only affirms our initial suspicion. This was a pre-meditated attack from Suna's long-term enemy, Orochimaru."

Sakura sucked in a breathe, knowing full well of that name. Tsunade made her fully aware of her ex-teammate, one that was known for using his fellow Konoha-nin as experiments to prolong his own life. He was a creepy snake man, according to her teacher, and it seemed Sakura was now going to see him in action.

"Would you be able to track him, from the scale?" Rasa asked Kakashi, infamous for his ninken. The silver-haired Jōnin only nodded in response.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed, itching to bring back his friend. It was obvious the care the blond had, but Sakura withheld the need to bump her teammate on the head for yelling against the _Kazekage_.

"We are going into this fight with enemies who have planned every move." The Third stated, "We will need to keep the village protected in case of a frontal-attack, but we need to pursue him in order to get back Gaara."

"I need to go after him." Temari stated.

"No. We will need you on the front, here." The Third Kazekage countered before turning to the Konoha-nin, "Your team has the ability to track Gaara and handle the situation if it goes.. beyond our control." His eyes slid to Naruto.

"We petitioned Konoha for more nin yesterday. And it seems that decision was useful since the situation has now scaled to pursue a known S-rank missing-ninja." The Third continued.

"I will join them." Lady Chiyo added.

"Relax, granny." The red-head held his arm out to stop her, "I've fought Orochimaru before, I'll be going with them."

The Third Kazekage was about to sport a migraine if this continued. The red-head was protective of Lady Chiyo, but his own parents were just if not _more_ protective over the son. They had no reason, of course, since their son was able to protect himself and even earn an infamous nickname on his own accord. But there was too much drama for a situation that called this much attention.

 _You can't please everyone,_ the Third Kazekage grimaced inwardly. He had to make the best choice, for the greatest amount of people.

"Sasori will join them." The Third commanded, "Be hasty in bringing back Gaara in one piece. But do not forget, you are fighting against a Legendary Sannin."

Her team was gone from the room in an instant, orders already given. But before Sakura could follow them, Rasa grabbed her elbow out in the hall. "You saved my son."

She could only nod in affirmation.

"Suna will remember you." Sakura thought about replying the same way she did to Lady Chiyo, but Rasa would probably say the same thing the older woman did.

"As I said before, it's my duty as a medic-nin to help those in need, no matter where they're from." Rasa inclined his head toward her and walked away.

By the time Sakura met with her team outside, Kakashi had already summoned his ninken and they were about ready to give chase to the trail. Naruto was itching to bring back Gaara from the day before. This was the part of the mission that Naruto and Sasuke were good at and they were eager to retrieve back the other jinchūriki.

The five broke out into a sprint and Sakura could not help but peer at their new, red-headed teammate. Sakura remembered him as one of the witty, yet snobby proctors at her Genin exam. He was a few years older than her, but that did not stop him from calling her _brat_ after knocking into him by accident.

Sakura had never seen him in combat during her Genin exams. But she recognized him instantly, when she entered the room early, as Sasori of the _Red Sand,_ infamous for painting the sand red in his wake.

He knew of her attention on him and raised a brow at her intense stare. "Can I help you, _brat_?"

Sakura scoffed at the use of that horrible nickname, which caught the attention of Naruto and Sasuke. "You know each other?" Naruto asked and Sasuke only looked, red-eyes peering behind at the two nin's bringing up the rear of their formation.

"Unfortunately." Sakura narrowed her eyes, but did not say anything further. This was an obvious drop in conversation and none of the boys pressed it further (unless they wanted to incite more problems).

Another hour of running and Kakashi stated to the group, "We're nearing the end of the trail." Naruto only picked up his speed and the rest of the group followed, not wanting to split apart from the Jinchūriki. But Naruto did not hinder his speed.

It all happened in an instant.

Sakura spotted the explosion tags a second too late, simultaneously trying to jump-backwards and yell at her teammates in warning. Sasuke, with the aid of the Sharingan, spotted the row of tags just before and knew he would only have time to save one person. When he turned toward Sakura, she was getting dragged further back, away from the blast. His eyes spotted the chakra strings and he launched himself forward, toward Kakashi and Naruto.

The group was now separated down the middle, with an assailant smirking right between them. Team 7 did not like that Sakura was on the opposite side of the clearing, but they had to trust in her ambiguous relationship with Sasori.

The assailant had long grey-hair that spiked up, similar to Sakura's own dad. There were bandages wrapped around his arms with markings all over his body. Snakes trailed behind him, hissing at the Kazekage's rescue delegation.

"Shinga." Kakashi identified the male, recognition attributed to his profile in the bingo book - but he was supposed to be dead. The Konoha missing-nin was declared dead during the early days of the Third Hokage, so what was he doing here?

The gears were sorting itself in Sakura's mind, but it was hard to place his appearance with what she memorized from the bingo book. She remembered his lust for power and defection for Konoha's ANBU, but not exactly what he was capable of and what exactly made him an S-ranked missing ninja. She felt the cogs in her mind reeling, but she also had the situation at hand to focus on.

"What marvelous reserves." Shinga commented, "I'll enjoy draining your chakra."

"Shinga stole the demon seed, Shinki, from Konoha and merged with it." Kakashi informed them over the clearing.

And suddenly it clicked for both the red-head and the pinkette, "You developed the _Jibakugan_." Sasori stated.

Shinga smirked in response, turning his body as if he was giving full attention to the red-head. "Sasori of the Red Sand, I'll be sure to make you mine."

Sakura stilled at the implication, stuck between letting out a mocking laugh at the wording or a sarcastic saying to the puppeteer. Sasori narrowed his eyes before yelling across to their other teammates, "You need to retrieve Gaara, now!"

"You will not ignore me." Shinga nearly hissed at the red-head.

Sasori grabbed a scroll from behind him, quickly summoning two puppets with multiple arms, hovering in the air in the space between them and Shinga.

"Only Karasu and Kuroari, Sasori-kun?" Shinga asked, "It hurts me that you don't think I'm worth more."

"What are you waiting for?" Sasori asked impatiently, toward the other members of Team 7.

Kakashi looked at Sakura, "Stay safe." She nodded and they were gone in an instant.

"You Konoha-nin are too sentimental." Sasori mocked.

"Didn't you go here in place of your grandma?" He only sneered in response as Sakura minimally rolled her eyes.

Shinga narrowed his eyes at the interaction, "What is she to you?!" He yelled.

"A _brat_."

Sakura pushed aside the name and stated, "Don't let him take hold of your negative emotions, his genjutsu thrives on it."

"You need to make eye-contact for it to take effect, so avoid it." Sasori added.

Sakura felt her chakra pulsing up and through her fists. Shinga was a mid-to-long range fighter and Sakura had to close the distance between them for her taijutsu to thrive. Training with an Uchiha had the added benefit of fighting while avoiding eye-contact, but Sakura was hyper-aware now that this was not training amongst Mikoto's sunflowers. This was the full life-or-death situation. The added layer was the presence of Orochimaru's snakes, probably laced with the same poison from when the summon bit Kankurō.

Sasori directed both Karasu and Kuroari in a frontal assault, launching forward multiple kunai. Sakura ran to keep up with the moving target. Shinga spurned forward at a speed that could rival her sensei's dodging and deflecting many of the projectiles.

Sakura picked up one of Sasori's forgotten kunai to wield, noting that it was coated in another substance. Sakura was able to quickly surmise that Sasori was just as innovative with creating poisons as was his grandma during the war. Shinga's attention was mostly on Sasori, his strange infatuation with the Suna-nin not stopping even in battle.

"A beautiful art, this is!" Shinga yelled once he jumped away from a blade hidden within Karasu. "A dance with an infamous puppet."

Sasori narrowed his eyes. If the missing-nin really was that obsessed with him, then there was no doubt that Shinga had done his research on his puppets and knew how to counter them. There was also the added detail that Shinga was _expecting_ to encounter Sasori, which made the red-head wonder what else they did not know about this much larger plan.

"A girl like you would never be able to fully appreciate him!" Shinga directed at Sakura, who frowned at the notion.

Sasori directed Karasu detached three of its limbs, intent on launching itself and stabbing through Shinga's chest. Shinga made no movement to the attack, letting it rip through him before disappearing into a log.

His immense chakra appeared behind Sakura and she was quick to defend against his blade with the kunai she picked up from earlier. She let go of the pressure, his balance falling toward her as she swiped at his feet and used a chakra-laced kick toward his chest. Another log, Sakura noted, after the devastation to the land.

Sakura was not prepared for the instantaneous swipe of a small sword at her head. Rather, Sasori grabbed her with his chakra strings, out from the dust of the crater she made and a safe enough distance from the missing-nin. But he could only control two puppets at a time. This fight was getting nowhere and it was evident that Sasori was impatiently thinking of a more effective plan of attack.

Outraged, Shinga surged forward, eyes blazing at the surprise attack from underestimating the small, pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura countered his kicks, dodging to the best she could, but getting back from a particular punch.

Sasori saw the opening, the utter attention of Shinga on Sakura, and swooped in Kuroari to capture Shinga.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"Kuroari's stomach is meant to capture opponents." Sasori directed Karasu, separating the puppet into eight sharp blades, guiding them into the slits of Kuroari's torso. Sakura clenched her jaw at the thought of Shinga being impaled on the inside, suddenly being cut into different pieces like a piece of food.

But Kuroari exploded from the inside, "You think I wouldn't be prepared for some B-rank technique?" Shinga asked pompously, standing at the opposite side of the clearing.

Karasu worked best with Kuroari and it would be annoying to have to fight with the shambles of a weak puppet. Sasori reached behind him for another scroll, but Sakura stopped him by placing an arm on his shoulder.

"Sasori, he's going to know every puppet you have."

"What do you suggest?"

Sakura scrunched her smile, looking at Shinga before whispering to Sasori her plan.

* * *

"Give us back Gaara!" Naruto yelled at the snake-Sannin, who only smirked. Gaara was laid-down, seemingly lifeless on the ground behind him. The mere sight of it had Naruto bursting with anger.

The rumors were not false, Orochimaru surmised. The nine-tailed Jinchūriki was an emotional one, caring too much about others and not about himself. He knew the tell-tale signs of a bijuu rising to the surface and the kyuubi was a perfect vessel of hate and power. His eyes slid to the Uchiha, not exactly Uchiha Itachi, but his younger brother would make a good host as well.

Orochimaru easily deflected their attempts at throwing an assortment of kunai and senbon. In the snake's eyes, Kakashi was the main deterrent from taking his younger teammates.

"You followed me here, without any plan in unknown territory? Separated from the rest of your team?" Orochimaru observed with a smirk.

Their fight was not getting anywhere, not with Naruto's emotions spiraling him out of control and them fighting to control both him and fight Orochimaru. This was a terrible plan, Kakashi cursed his Hokage at his previous insistence. Sasori and Sakura had yet to catch-up to them and, while he worried for the outcome of their fight, Kakashi had his own waning battle in front of him.

Both Kakashi and Sasuke were using their sharingan to scan their newly arrived enemies, two ninjas with hitai-ate that signified that they defected from Sound. This was bad, very bad. Three Konoha-nin against three missing-nin, one being a ninja from Legend. It did not get any worse.

Spotting the telltale orange-hue surrounding Naruto, _yes. It did get worse._

The three of them fighting Orochimaru was a struggle and the sudden appearance of more only spelled trouble. They needed a logical plan and the situation was quickly spiraling out of control, Kakashi worried.

His eye pulsed with pain from use of the unnatural Sharingan. He was able to deflect two nin's attacks with ease, but could not stop their onslaught in order to tame Naruto. He needed to get to the blond quickly and it seemed Sasuke had the same idea.

"Uh-uh." Orochimaru jumped in Sasuke's wake, "You are not going anywhere."

Kakashi was running out of options and was near close to just launching himself at Orochimaru, when an unidentified kunai embedded itself into the shoulder of one of the shinobi Kakashi was fighting. Kakashi looked out and spotted the familiar garb of Konoha's ANBU, undoubtedly here at the request of the Kazekage from the day before.

The two ex-sound ninja were quickly disposed of, before attention was fully turned to Orochimaru.

The leading ANBU shinobi hurled a kunai at Orochimaru. The snake-sanin easily deflecting it, but upon contact exploded into a flight of multiple crows, now circling him.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in realization of the only person who was capable of doing this, but had to stop his gaze from wandering to the leading crow, one with bright sharingan eyes.

 _Uchiha Itachi._

In a burst of smoke, Orochimaru was gone. He already lost to Itachi before, it would not be worth fighting him, his team, along with the Kyuubi. Itachi was the perfect host and, as such, he was hardest to attain. It figures, Orochimaru wanted a strong body to withstand his growing power. One day, he would get the Uchiha to bow.

"The Kazekage informed us of Orochimaru." The leading ANBU informed, but both Kakashi and Sasuke recognized the voice instantly. Kakashi knew that firm tone from his personal time in ANBU and Sasuke knew better than to ignore his own brother.

While the younger Uchiha was half willing to breathe a sigh of relief, he knew that Itachi was probably just as much trouble as the previous situation. At least they were guaranteed Gaara, now. Naruto was not at all quiet in his quick retrieval of his friend, Gaara thankfully still alive despite his worn-out disposition.

"Where is the rest of your team?" Itachi inquired.

"Sasori and Sakura were separated. They stayed back to fight Shinga."

Itachi recalled the name, being the one personally tasked by the Third Hokage to handle Shinga. His previous orders were to arrest Shinga, who committed unspeakable acts on his fellow shinobi in a quest to find immortality. He wanted nothing more than to foster his chakra draining technique. And, at the time, it seemed as though Shinga previously died in a mudslide resulting from the fight.

A dangerous man who completely lacked empathy, fighting a medic that held a strange place in every present male's heart.

"Let's go." Itachi ordered, taking command of his team along with Team 7.

* * *

Sakura huffed, feeling the symptoms of exhaustion in her lungs and legs. Their fight in the forest was constantly moving and the three nin now found themselves in the center of a large crater.

Shinga knew, at this point, that fighting the pinkette head-on would fall in her favor from her pure, unadulterated determination. He knew nothing about her, other than her pastel hair and small figure that did not match a ninja whose punch could puncture the face of the planet. She was a constant question mark. Shinga decided on putting distance between them, keeping himself surrounded by a few of Orochimaru's snake in case she ventured too close.

Despite being a vain effort, Sasori summoned another puppet to fight Shinga while Sakura attempted to break the distance.

Shinga was keen on keeping her away and made sure to do so with a bunshin focused entirely on her. It would was not weak enough to be dispelled on hit, but a chakra-enforced one would definitely do it.

Sakura launched a boulder while Sasori's puppet soared through the air, cornering Shinga against it. Quickly deciphering the best plan of attack, Shinga rushed toward the pinkette who was still fighting his just-as-aggressive bunshin. She dodged his initial swipe and raised her fist at his retreating bodice. Replacing himself with a log at the contact, he appeared behind her and kicked Sakura in the direction of the snakes.

A yell of pure anguish ripped through the air as the summon latched itself onto her leg, embedding itself and requiring Sakura to rip it out with her bare hands. However, he had underestimated her yet again, Sakura simultaneously turning toward Shinga and concentrating a burst of chakra where her fist met his forearm.

Shinga was in the act of pulling away, so her fist did not make direct contact. But that burst of chakra was enough to fry the air she had touched, rendering the nerves in his entire left arm useless. He tried to jump away, but the sheer surprise lagged his movements and Sakura ran to inflict a real punch on his chest.

Another snake embedded itself into Sakura's leg, making Sakura scream again. However, she should have fallen forward at the sudden pain, losing control and descending toward Shinga, he surmised. Rather, she was dragged all the way backward to stand next to Sasori.

It was then that Shinga spotted it: chakra strings.

He wondered when Sasori had started to taken control of Sakura as a puppet. No wonder the pinkette did not hesitate when initially bitten, he was pushing her more and more.

"Don't give me that look." Sasori stated, "I had to pull you out. You need to heal yourself."

Or rather, it was the pinkette pushing Sasori - Shinga thought with an edge of resentment.

There was something exhilarating about controlling something _alive,_ Sasori thought as Sakura savaged the battleground. She had her own strength and emotion pulsing through her, incredibly palpable to simply feel through the chakra strings. The pinkette was a complete monster, decimating everything in her path with a strength that rivaled her mentor.

Live puppets, what a strange concept, Sasori inwardly noted with narrowed eyes.

Sakura grimaced at his words, not arguing and instead taking out a syringe and stabbing herself with what Shinga deduced as an antidote. The tinge of green medical-chakra rose to her palms, covering the bites on her legs.

"Impressive. Should I be under the assumption that the other sub-par puppeteer has been saved by your hands?" Shinga asked.

Sakura did not have to answer, rather she narrowed his eyes at the question. He regarded Kankurō so casually, as if he was not just hanging at the edge of his life.

"I don't recognize you at all." Shinga observed, "A beautiful face, rendered mysterious from the lack of any real significance."

The pinkette had half the heart to scoff at the thinly veiled insult, but Sasori was the one who decided that the conversation was over, as he raised his puppet back to life.

"There's no point." Sakura huffed out as she raised her arm at the puppeteer standing a little ways behind her. "It didn't work before, there's no difference now."

Naruto was always the type of person who was churned to protect his precious people. His eyes never wandered from Gaara in the other Konoha ANBU's arms, but now he had the more pressing anxiety of Sakura facing a dangerous opponent with an ambiguous ally. The blond had half the mind of simply skipping in front of the group and toward his female teammate. But, it was rather strange, that even he knew that the air was electric with tension and the slightest pin drop would have him under the scrutinizing gaze of multiple Uchiha.

But, Naruto had to save Sakura. It was his duty.

And that thought flew out the window the moment the group took full notice of the field, or what used to be one.

Sakura was in the middle of it all, at the very center of a crater that she undoubtedly left.

Her arm was fully impaled through the enemy, blood splattering in a puddle around her and her enemy. Shinga continually kept adding more and more distance between himself and the pinkette, but you could only run for so long before your defense is fully penetrated through, it seemed.

Sakura decided that enough was enough, she had already been bitten from a poisonous snake, which then added a time constraint in which she had to work in. She had a limited amount of antidotes on her and there was no point in being afraid of bites again, their time was now a variable concept.

"I won't let you get bit again." Sasori stated, infuriating Sakura more.

"I won't let you protect me like I was not trained for this." She bit back. "I'm running straight at him and if you have any hesitance in this, then let go of me now."

Sasori could not stop the surprise spreading across his face. With his puppets, he held little fear in charging them to the center of danger. They did not feel pain or bleed like a real person. But for someone living and breathing, with the same lack of regard for _themselves,_ it was a strange concept.

"Fine." The red-head conceded, lifting his arms again to indicate he was on-board for the plan, chakra strings lighting the path between the two.

The pinkette readied her fighting stance, chakra scalpels flickering to life between her palms. Without fear of her own safety, Sakura pushed Sasori to simply narrow their distance, snakes be damned if this style of fighting meant relieving Shinga of his life.

Which led to her chakra-infused arm sailing straight through his chest, Sakura quickly stabbing her own body-part through his middle and ripping it out just as fast. Shinga's now lifeless body plunged to the earth beneath him, Sakura falling to her knees after. Two poisonous snakes attached themselves to her lower calves, but Sasori was quick to dispatch of them. Using Karasu and Kuroari, Shinga's prone body was surely dead as Sasori encased him from within his puppet's _Black Secret Technique._

Just as rapid, Sasori flanked Sakura's weaker side, supporting her with his own body. The pinkette then reached in her pack, taking out a vial and stabbing herself in the thigh with it.

"You're an idiot."

"You didn't come up with a better plan, _Pinocchio_." She bit back.

If they had been anyone else, Naruto would have grimaced at the sight of his most innocent teammate impaling someone with her own arm. But the male members of Team Seven hesitated for a moment as the scene quickly played out. The entire display must have taken less than thirty seconds, but it felt as if the entire scene was in slow motion. From Sakura's deadly attack to Sasori's casual hold around her waist, Naruto was unsure what information to process first.

The older Uchiha made his presence known first, walking up to the two in the middle of the clearing. "Shinga has been secured." Sakura reported to the Konoha ANBU, recognizing Itachi almost instantly from his mask. She had the utter _luxury_ of working alongside him in the past, he was not someone on the battlefield that you could forget.

"Injuries?"

"I'm good to travel back to Suna." Sakura replied, causing Sasuke raised a brow and Naruto to tilt his head in question. "I was able to make an antidote before and inject myself with it."

Sasori frowned and lightly pushed her from his side, "You're barely standing."

"I need to get back to Suna. He utilized a poison similar to the one used on Kankurō, but my antidote is not going to keep me safe for a prolonged amount of time."

Itachi nodded. As much as he wanted to personally take Sakura with him, he had to keep an objective head. The best plan was to have the faster members run ahead to the village with Gaara, his state was much more pressing and the hospital staff would have to tend to him immediately.

"I'll stay back with Sakura-chan." Naruto offered.

"It is extremely unwise to leave a jinchūriki without guards, especially with Orochimaru possibly still nearby." Itachi commented, nodding toward his younger brother instead.

"But-" He immediately snapped his attention to the blond. Itachi was not like Kakashi - laid back and willing to put-up the younger members' grumbling. Itachi was a ruthless leader, who tended to rely on his single plan of attack. "Ok." Naruto conceded immediately.

"Wait." Sakura raised her hand toward Itachi, throwing a vial in his direction that he effortlessly caught. "Just in case you run into him again."

Itachi nodded, muttering a small _stay safe,_ before disappearing in an instant. The rest were gone just as fast, Naruto looking back once before Kakashi counseled him to move along. "I can take care of my teammate." Sasuke directed toward Sasori, but the red-head made no motion to move from Sakura's side.

"It's handled." He simply stated, Sasuke now openly glaring at the Sunagakure shinobi.

Sakura sighed, "If you're done sizing each other up, I'd like to get to a hospital before the poison eats at my insides."

* * *

"Our healers are doing the best they can." The suna nin reassured Naruto as he paced outside of Gaara's room, hospital staff attempting to navigate the group that convened outside his door.

Naruto scowled "I only trust one person here for this." His cerulean eyes slid to his teammate, "Sakura-chan, you mind?"

"I don't want to step on anyone's toes..." Sakura murmured from her seat next to Sasuke. She basically took over their greenhouse and research department the last couple of days, creating more antidotes for the poison used on Kankurō and Gaara along with the one poison used by the snakes guarding Shinga.

"She's not cleared for this hospital." The nin continued to fight the blond, but that argument itself was flawed. Sakura had been working in this very hospital without question, the pinkette felt a rise of annoyance that the nin was not more reasonable in this situation. It was then that Rasa stood and inclined his head toward the pinkette.

"Please, you did what this hospital could not, for my other son."

Sakura mechanically widened her smile before standing, but Sasuke caught her elbow. "Sakura was injured. Don't push her."

While those words came from a place of concern, the pinkette narrowed her eyes at the insinuation that she could not handle it. And forced her elbow back to her own bodice, "I'll be fine." She bit out in a tense voice. The Uchiha knew better than to fight when her attitude hit that point.

Only family was allowed inside with Sakura as she assessed Gaara's body. He was surely exhausted and would be sore in the future from the intense amount of healing from his injuries. But as a jinchūriki, Sakura knew firsthand from healing Naruto that Gaara would recover faster than anyone else in his situation.

Rasa raised a brow once Sakura rested her hands back to her sides and Sakura had enough experience with Uchiha's that that simple gesture signified an entire sentence.

"Just as they said, Gaara just needs time. His body will heal on its own. If we're still here when he awakens, then I can use my chakra to make him a bit more comfortable. But everything will run its due course."

The silent man nodded his head and walked away. But before leaving the room, he stated, "Then I'll make sure of it."

Sakura tilted her head in confusion and was tempted to ask about the statement, but he made sure to make himself scarce after saying those few words.

Rasa was missing when she left the room back to the hallway, met with only her teammates. The pinkette made sure to reassure Naruto of Gaara's condition, but knew better than to assume his anxiety would be gone until the blond saw his friend up and walking with his own eyes.

The three, Naruto sandwiched between his two teammates, continued to wait outside the room. While Team Seven was nowhere near perfect, they still cared about one another. And when Naruto was this emotionally perturbed, they were not going to leave him alone. Sasuke silently noted his friend's jumpiness, it was rare for Naruto not to just burst in guns blazing, and attempted his best idea at being _comforting._

An unfamiliar Suna shinobi neared the group, the two males now sitting up with full alarm at the new person. It took Sakura patting Naruto's thigh to make the glare on his usually friendly face to dissipate.

"The Kazekage requests your presence, Haruno-san."

"Just Sakura-chan?" Naruto inquired, making Sakura scowl and Sasuke not-so-lightly punch his friend in the shoulder.

It seemed the delegation from earlier was still conspiring in the same room, with the Konoha additions of herself, Kakashi, and Itachi.

Temari noted her appearance first. "How is he?"

"Unconscious, but stable." Sakura reassured, "He'll be fine in time."

Temari heaved a sigh of relief, "We're lucky you were able to make it here on time. I can't imagine what we would have done without you, what would have happened to Kankurō..." Her voice trailed at the end.

"It would be easier on everyone, knowing we had the best staff at the hospital at all times." Rasa commented.

"Lady Chiyo is one of the best at creating and neutralizing poisons." Sakura replied, inclining her head toward the older woman sitting with her grandson. "And Konoha will support its allies."

"But it is you, as an individual, who makes Konoha's hospital one of the best." Rasa countered in a tone that made the pinkette question if that was truly a compliment or a leading statement.

"We have a staff under the tutelage of Lady Tsunade, it's the power of the group of people that make us strong."

"Of course." Rasa replied with a smirk, making Sakura frown as she glanced over at Kakashi, who simply shrugged.

Sasori crossed his arms from his spot in his chair, glancing at his grandmother who had a very mischievous expression.

Before Chiyo could get a single word out, the redhead stood and approached the young pinkette.

"You look more mobile." He commented, quickly scanning the areas he remembered were punctured by snakes.

"I feel much better, especially since I was able to fully neutralize it." Sakura replied.

"Good. We'd hate to lose a newly acquired ally." Chiyo commented this time.

Sakura raised a brow, "Konoha will always-"

"You'd think by now you'd know we're referring to you alone." Sasori interrupted, a smirk on his face as he spied her surprised expression.

"I get it, _Pinocchio._ " Sakura teased back, "How are you feeling?"

"Compared to how I had to literally drag your ass back here, like a fucking butterfly."

Sakura could not help the laugh that escaped her. It was either the redhead's coarse use of language or the strange metaphor of likening the puppeteer to a butterfly of all things, Sakura could not withhold her immediate reaction. Sasori's smirk dropped to a more amused smile with Lady Chiyo watching on with a knowing expression.

Sakura turned toward the approaching presence alongside her.

"How are you feeling?" Even with the casual vernacular, Sakura could not help the sudden stiffness in her spine and the forced smile she attempted.

"Much better, Taichou."

She watched as Itachi's onyx eyes glanced to the redhead alongside her, nodding and then returning to his spot near Kakashi-sensei.

"What was that?" Sasori could not help, but ask.

"Sorry, I thought he'd be mad at me." Sakura explained, "He usually is when it comes to me..."

"Pulling shit like before?"

"When you put it like that..." Sakura trailed off.

"Try to care about yourself more." Sasori admonished, "I could imagine I'm just the first in a long line of people who want to drill that sentiment into that fucking brain of yours."

"And since when did you care?"

"Since you threw yourself into battle like a lifeless puppet. The difference is that now we're standing here, alive, and yet you still don't view yourself as superior to the inanimate weapon."

"We won the battle, didn't we?"

Sasori grabbed her wrist, with enough pressure to restrain, but not enough to hurt. He lifted the underside, showcasing the newly healed area that had just been punctured by one of Orochimaru's snakes.

"And how much longer will you use that excuse, before it runs out?"

Sakura snatched away her arm, "Fine. I see your point."

"Good." Sasori stated, "Now apply it, _brat._ "

Sakura rolled her eyes and huffed, wondering since when was Sasori as _naggy_ as her teammates. (Lady Chiyo just watched on, smile seemingly wider than before). She turned to her left and felt the eyes of the Konoha delegation on her, Kakashi with a raised brow and Itachi's eyes still on her arm, where Sasori was just holding her.

The Third Kazekage then ended his previous conversation and turned his attention to the pink newcomer, "We were able to get the experiences of your other team leaders, but not yours."

"Along with Sasori, I was tasked with fighting Shinga while the rest of the team followed the trail to Gaara." Sakura recounted the experience out-loud, sparing no detail. The Suna nin kept relatively unlively reactions to her experience, but the pinkette inwardly noted the scowl that made it's way on Lady Chiyo's face as she recalled Sasori using her as his own personal puppet - a weapon.

The Third Kazekage nodded at the end of her report, a person in the room taking physical note of every single word Sakura uttered.

"What concerns me, on a personal level, is what Shinga and Orochimaru could personally have as a connection to be mutual allies. They both wanted to continue their lifespan with no regard at the expense of others, so there's that. But it almost seemed as if Shinga was obsessed with the work of..." Her eyes traveled to Sasori, whose gaze hardened once he realized her train of words, "... living eternally. This was, I'm assuming, the first attack of many."

Kakashi knew Sakura's tells at this point and there was definitely some information she was withholding. He also inwardly noted the strange looks thrown between his young student and the red-head from earlier, but decided to say nothing in front of the Kazekage.

"And the poison Shinga used?" The Third inquired.

"I made a different antidote, but this was considerably easier to handle since there were limited differences between this one and the one used on Kankurō." Sakura explained, "They may be using Sasori's stolen recipe as a base. If they keep doing this with every individual, the antidote would be able to slow the progression, but I would have to tailor each individual antidote to each poison."

"Thank you for your input, someone will escort you to where you will be staying." The Third nodded at Sakura, before waving her away.

Naruto and Sasuke were classic _Alpha_ males and being withheld from the main conversation had them nearly violent. Once Sakura stepped foot in the hallway, Naruto was quick to grab her arm and personally drag her to his and Sasuke's shared room.

"What happened? Is there another mission? Are they going after Orochimaru?" Naruto was eager to ask once he sat the pinkette down on his bed, Sasuke casually laying on the other with his arms behind his head with his eyes closed.

Sakura paused, "I don't know for certain. Kakashi and Itachi are the designated team leaders and they are the only ones allowed in the Kazekage's inner circle to plan the next step."

"Why did they call you?" Naruto asked.

"They wanted my report and personal observations on Shinga."

The blond scowled, "I hate being left out."

"This situation is bigger than us." Sakura reasoned, "At the end of the day, we barely matter. We saved him, yes. But Orochimaru is clearly after something much larger than even Gaara."

The answer was not the one Naruto was looking for, but Sakura got up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What matters now is that he is safe and stable in his own village."

Naruto smiled at her attempt, before shaking his head of his continually negative line of thought. "We should get some dinner or something."

"For once, I will agree on getting ramen." Sakura conceded out-loud, to her craving.

It was that that made Naruto smile, before he grabbed Sasuke's pack off the nearby table to throw it at the silent Uchiha. Sasuke caught it with one-hand, not even pausing to open his eyes in the frontal attack.

The Uchiha scoffed, but went along with his teammates without uttering a word.

Dinner went as smoothly as Team Seven got along - explosive and with random bits of actual bonding.

"You're a ruthless fighter, Sakura-chan." Naruto stated after one too many bowls of his favorite dish.

"I learn from the best." The pinkette said with a smirk, tilting her cup of sake toward the blond.

"Beat me to a pulp and then patch me together right after," Naruto held a mocking hand on his heart. "You're the whole package."

Sakura slapped at his shoulder, "Shut-up."

"Since when did Tsunade teach you to use chakra scalpels like that?" The quiet member of their trio finally piped up, Sasuke voicing his curiosity from earlier.

"Like what?"

"Like you were scoping ice cream. But rather than cold, hard ice cream, it was bone." Naruto illustrated, obviously eager to know as well.

"It's not a formal technique or anything. Just something I picked up on my more dangerous missions."

Sasuke let out a nearly silent _tsk_ and Naruto paused in drinking his own cup of sake. "Like the missions that teme's older brother takes you on?"

Sakura sighed, that was another problem with her boys. They protected her at almost every opportunity, but their over-bearing nature did not stop the fact that the both of them left for _years_. Sakura progressed and passed the Chūnin exams on her own. The village was not going to waste her medical prowess and often placed her on teams that required a medic-nin, which usually meant they were high-danger and would need medical assistance at any given moment.

And Itachi's ANBU team tended to toe the line of life and death on their missions, making a specialized medic-nin almost a necessity.

"You know he doesn't just take me? He asks and I accept." Sakura countered.

"You know we love you, right?" Naruto started, but Sakura had a good feeling where this conversation was headed.

"Of course." Sakura rolled her eyes, but it was Sasuke who told her to take the blond's words seriously. "But you can't stop me from going on missions with Itachi-san."

"There's no way we will stop you, but know that we just as well we won't stop wanting to keep you safe." Naruto countered, making Sakura rub both boys' hands in comfort, not saying anything.

It seemed that they were never going to see eye-to-eye. They were incredibly possessive over their female teammate, who was just as stubborn. Sakura knew that their concerns came from a good place, they wanted nothing more than protect her. But the pinkette did not train her whole life, against all odds of a civilian background, just to get pushed back to the sidelines. Sakura knew she would fight this ideal until the end of time. And if her boys truly pushed her, Sakura would not hesitate to throw hands.

Gaara woke-up a few days after, Naruto bouncing away as soon as the news reached them. They had to wait a small while, for the hospital staff to ensure he was truly stable and good for visitors.

It was awfully suspicious that the Konoha team was sticking around for so long. Orochimaru attacked a Hidden Village in broad daylight, an S-rank missing ninja openly making a premeditated attack from their home, but they had yet to leave for Konoha. Sakura was betting that Minato was sure to have an aneurysm if Naruto did not head back soon, but something was keeping them from leaving Suna.

Sakura stood toward the furthest part of the room, back against the wall as she observed. Sure, she had met Gaara before and was more than welcome by the Suna-nin, but she knew better that he wanted to be greeted by his closest family and friends. His immediate family, joined by Naruto, crowded his line of sight, not that Sakura was complaining. Lady Chiyo along with Sasori in tow entered a little after, the older woman nearing Gaara but Sasori standing to the side by Sakura as well.

She noticed Gaara's surprised countenance at the sheer amount of people who came to ensure his safety. Sakura knew that Gaara was by no means outgoing and tended to keep to himself, so seeing a large crowd all concerned for him was probably overwhelming.

His faded-mint eyes taking in his immediate visitors, "Thank you for healing me." He directed at the nearby nurse.

"You wouldn't be sitting here now if not for one person in particular." Rasa commented, turning his gaze to the suddenly elusive pinkette. Sakura smiled awkwardly, standing straight now as she nodded toward Gaara in recognition. "She single-handedly created the antidotes that saved both you and your brother."

Sakura watched as Gaara's blank eyes traveled from his father to Sakura's figure, smile now incredibly tense that even she was inwardly berating her own behavior. She heard Sasori's light chuckle from her lack of decorum and would have glared at him if not for everyone's attention on herself.

"I would never abandon a person in need." Sakura reasoned, "And a friend of Naruto, no less."

Gaara nodded thankfully, a genuine expression that Sakura understood as rare on his part.

"Thank you."

"No problem, really."

Rasa looked at her fully then, nodding his head in her direction, before turning back to Gaara on the hospital bed.

Attention was, fortunately, diverted elsewhere. Sakura never really liked being under the limelight and having the attention of the strongest members of Suna was no exception.

"Why are you even here, granny's boy?" Sakura sassily directed toward the puppeteer next to her.

Sasori rolled his eyes before stating, "I wanted to make sure my cousin was alive, especially after being in your care."

Sakrua scoffed, "You don't have to be mad that I neutralized your poison in less than a day."

"You're right, I don't feel at all threatened by a _chūnin."_ He emphasized the last word, Sakura grumbling at his Jōnin status. As if rank mattered on the battlefield, Sakura inwardly noted. If someone could kill you, did it matter what it said on paper?

"Alright, _pinocchio_ what's your problem?" Sakura bit-out, "Can't stand the fact that a Konoha-nin saved your family?"

Sasori sighed and turned away, "...Thank you."

Sakura felt her anger dissipate at his near-whispered words, "What?"

"I'm not repeating myself, _brat."_

Sakura felt a smile slowly grow, as rough as the red-head is, she guessed his edges were not as bad once you pushed past it. "You're welcome. Seriously, you guys don't owe me anything."

She watched as Sasori crossed his arms, but said nothing.

Sakura decidedly continued as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't hesitate to call me if you need me."

To her inward glee, he did not push off the physical gesture. Rather, he nodded as he looked deep into her emerald eyes, as if he was attempting to gauge how honest her words were.

"Okay."

A Konoha ANBU member entered the room with Kakashi trailing behind him and calling Sakura's attention. Kakashi seemed to take the pinkette's spot against the wall, leaving Sakura to venture alone with the ANBU operative.

Once out in the hall, Itachi informed her of the next steps, "We've been instructed to follow a trail leading to Orochimaru. Team Kakashi will stay in Suna until instructed otherwise."

"And you need some vial's of the antidote just in case, Taichou?" He nodded in response.

The two were headed deeper into the hospital. Sakura was tempted to just give Itachi the vials in her pack, but knew he would abstain from taking her personal copies. As mature as the older Uchiha is, he was the same in terms of protectiveness as his younger brother.

"Why is Team Seven just sitting here?" Sakura could not stop herself from voicing her curiosity.

He raised a brow, indicating that he wanted her to explain further. But she knew that Itachi _knew_ what she meant.

"An S-rank missing-nin is out there and we're told to just wait?"

Itachi did not hesitate, "You know the Hokage has a soft spot for his son."

"So we're chilling here while Naruto spends time with his fellow jinchūriki?" Sakura asked with a smile, the ANBU not responding but she saw the slight twitch at the sides of his lips.

"Your presence here also adds another factor."

"What?"

"It seems you have been personally requested to stay here to ensure all parties are deemed completely safe."

"What? Everyone's out of critical condition." Sakura noted, thinking just who could want her here for so long, without actually requesting it. The pinkette thought back to Rasa's previous words and wondered if this was at his insistence.

Not a single member of the staff questioned Sakura as she made her way back to the research department, where she nearly haunted it at all hours a few days ago. Itachi noted the faces of admiration the hospital staff shot at the pinkette as she walked the halls proudly - this was her constant battleground and she surely thrived in it. They entered an area attached to the greenhouse, the two of them the only occupants in the office area, not a single soul around.

"You made an antidote in hours while the entire staff of Suna nin could not in two whole days." Itachi noted out-loud, Sakura unsure if that was a question or simply a statement that he wanted confirmation on. "And you made another one while injured, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, clumsily losing her train of thought as he regarded her informally. There was no one around, but Itachi did not seem like the type who broke face during a mission. Continuing to rummage through a box of vials she had personally hand-made the day before, she picked out a few. "Here's some that haven't been logged yet."

Itachi purposefully closed the distance between them. He could have easily grabbed it from his arms' length position earlier, but made sure to lessen the space. He placed a large hand over her's, deliberately touching her petite hands in an effort to grab the vials.

"And now?"

"I'm fine, _Itachi_. Really." She reassured.

"Your knack for self-sacrifice must be curbed." Itachi reprimanded, piercing eyes never leaving her own as he towered over her.

"And you can stick that up your ass."

Itachi smirked at her words, almost expecting them now. There was no question that Sakura had a fiery personality and it was strangely refreshing to the older Uchiha. Most people looked at him in utter fear or utmost devotion - fangirls were no joke. They would stalk him all hours of the day, but it seemed they had yet to _actually approach_ him.

But Sakura had no problem properly respecting him as a leader and sassing him all in the span of a few minutes.

"Stay safe, Sakura." He stated, eyes unwavering as they peered at her.

Itachi was myriad of puzzles, Sakura mused. Lady Tsunade preferred not to leave the village for extended periods of time (Sakura mused that Dan being tied down to Konoha for Hokage training was a main reason) and Shizune was often tasked with other responsibilities within the village. That left Sakura as the best _willing_ medic to join other teams on their more pressing missions. Her presence on Itachi's ANBU team was almost always expected, but quickly dwindled once Naruto and Sasuke became insistent on their teammate.

Sakura had spent more time with Itachi and his team, comprising Genma and Shisui usually, than with her own team for an extended period of time. And the sudden interference of her teammates made her relationship with Itachi stranger than typical. Sasuke loved his brother, but there was always _something_ between the two of them. Naruto trusted Itachi to a point, but when it came to Sakura it seemed all logic flew out the window and everyone was throwing hands.

They made their way back to the entrance of the hospital, where Sakura spotted the familiar faces of his team waiting outside. She inclined her head, not wanting to say anything that would force them to break their serious ANBU nature.

"Glad to see you're okay." Genma greeted, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're hella scary and I know you can take care of yourself, but it's different seeing you for my own eyes." Shisui added.

"Thanks. But no worries, you've seen me much worse."

That made Itachi frown and he was ready to comment, but at this rate they would never leave. "You guys were on your way?" Sakura interrupted before he could say anything, to which he took a silent mental note of.

Shisui rolled his eyes, "I'll let you two lovebirds say your goodbyes."

Sakura meant to punch him in the shoulder, but the Uchiha moved too quick and flashed a playful peace sign over his shoulder as he walked away. The pinkette turned to the ANBU captain, smiling as she stated. "Stay safe." He offered a small smirk, not saying anything as he inclined his head toward her before walking away.

Itachi would always be a strange question mark, but that was a problem for _future Sakura._


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura lay completely flat against the earth below her, heaving air into her lungs from the sheer amount of energy she expended in the last hour.

"Alright Pinocchio, you win this one."

Naruto and Sasuke were not in their room when Sakura woke-up and Kakashi was long gone. Reminiscent to her days running the team as a solo, Sakura left for breakfast alone and was content with spending the rest of the day without any clear direction when she ran into Sasori once again. He was planning on training, taken off of active duty roster while the plan to investigate Orochimaru was still in the works. The village did not want to risk any more of their high-ranked shinobi and it seemed nearly everyone was grounded, stopping many from venturing out of the village if not already previously assigned. And with her team acting as sitting ducks, the pinkette found herself more and more comfortable in his presence.

Sasori, while not as injured as Sakura, was not standing completely unharmed. He had a cut on his cheek and he was sure his left arm was dislocated, along with the tells of dark purple coloring on his right leg. The two had fighting styles that were polar opposites, Sakura relying on her fists and Sasori tending to keep at a distance.

It was infuriating on Sakura's end, she admittedly had a very brutal, aggressive style that relied heavily on her fists. But while Sasori kept her at a safe distance, Sakura had to practice her defensive abilities while Kuroari and Karasu flew right at her. Eventually, Sakura was able to simply rush her way at him, forcing Sasori to use Taijutsu. Just because he specialized in puppetry, that did not mean he was lacking in other ways. It was a good fight, one that Sakura was refreshed to have as opposed to her teammates' flashier styles.

Another huge factor that weighed Sakura down was the sun.

The brutal Sungakure sun that raised temperature higher than the hottest day of Konoha's summer. Sakura was privy to the heat and found herself slower than Sasori, a local resident to the extreme climate. By the time she took a breath, Sakura felt every part of her body drenched in sweat, along with a headache ready to pound into the back of her mind.

Once Sasori believed himself stable enough, he walked over to Sakura and offered a hand to help her up.

But Sakura was not one to be bested.

She gripped the hand hard, pulling him down to her as she flipped him underneath her. Attempting to subdue him, she held him with her strong chakra-infused grip. "Concede!"

But with a small swipe of his finger, Kuroari came soaring right at her. She dodged the incoming attack and continued to fight toward Sasori's right-side, his puppeteer skill rendered useless on his left-side due to her earlier injury on his bodice. Sasori grimaced as he was forced to fight hand-to-hand with one of the most gruesome kunoichi's on the planet.

And yet, he had several factors that ran absolutely in his favor. Sakura was over-exerting herself, continually fighting with her whole body in this heat unnatural to her, it was rendering her sluggish than usual and Sasori was quick to grab her elbow. Flipping them and placating her against the hard earth, he held both her arms in one hand, subduing her with a chakra string.

"Whose conceding?" Sasori teased, incensing Sakura, causing her to thrash from beneath him.

The red-head caged her thighs below him. He was only a little bit taller than Sakura, but it worked enough as an enclosure to subdue the determined pinkette. He leaned toward her without hesitation, bodies pressed together.

Noticing their close proximity, Sakura stopped moving and looked to the side, grumbling, "Get off me."

"Finally admit defeat, _brat_?"

"Fine." She bit out.

But another person was already standing to the side, waiting for the pair to finish before making their presence known. Once they introduced themselves, the two scrambled off one another and pretended nothing had just happened.

"Your parents returned from their mission." Lady Chiyo greeted, waving at the pinkette who returned it with a large smile. There was something about the older Suna kunoichi that Sakura felt comfortable with, maybe the personality resemblance with her strong mentor.

"See ya, momma's boy." Sakura joked, Sasori lazily glaring at the pinkette instantly. The pinkette could not deny the rosy blush on both of their faces (more so on her).

Lady Chiyo chuckled but stopped the pinkette from leaving, "You should join us for dinner."

Sasori and Sakura both could not contain their surprise, turning toward one another than snapping their attention back to the older Suna nin.

"It's alright!" Sakura answered a little too hastily, "I want to take a shower and I don't want to impose on your intimate dinner."

"Nonsense. Whenever they go out of town for an extended amount of time we always eat out together as a family. It's nothing new. It would be refreshing for someone new to join us." Lady Chiyo reasoned, "Besides, why deny an _invitation?_ Is there something wrong with us?"

Sasori smirked, it was somewhat amusing to see Sakura cornered simply from his grandmother's words. At least now she understood firsthand the pressure that the older woman possessed.

"No! I'd love to join you guys." Sakura held her hands up in defense, but felt instantly dejected when Chiyo widened her expression to a Cheshire smile.

"Perfect, Sasori will fetch you later."

Sakura bit her lower lip to stop herself from saying anything uncouth, trying to smile as she waved goodbye.

"I know what you're doing and I do not approve." Sasori started, once the pinkette was out of earshot.

Lady Chiyo laughed, but did not deny the red head's statement. "She's an intelligent young woman, trained by a legendary Sannin."

"And a huge pain in my ass." Sasori added, making his grandmother laugh more.

Lady Chiyo watched Sasori grow up as a fine young man, a formidable fighter who rightly earned his way through the ranks of Suna's nin. Even with a loving family, one that spanned more than one generation, it was strange that the handsome gentleman had yet to find any serious interest in a romantic partner. She watched Sasori hold crushes on several kunoichi, but it never lasted longer than a week or so. He would often say that none of them were interesting enough, that they never really held his interest.

And yet this pink-haired kunoichi, who suddenly appeared in their lives with little to no warning, could easily crawl under his skin.

It made Lady Chiyo wonder.

"How do you two even know each other?"

"She was a sassy little Genin when I met her." Sasori sighed, "A true _brat_."

"But how did you two get to know each other?"

"See her time to time, in Konoha or with her ANBU team when they pass through here."

"And now?" Chiyo raised a brow.

"And now she's one of the strongest medic-nin's in existence."

"You were only ever interested in the very best." Lady Chiyo teased.

But Sasori said nothing, simply smirking at the statement.

It was strange for Sakura, to be assigned to stay in a village that was not her own, with nothing pressing to really do. It gave time to explore the culture of Sunagakure and even buy some items for her personal interest, but she could not shake the feeling of looming danger. They came here under the pursuit of an S-rank criminal. And now they were reduced to leisurely waiting at the beck and call of Naruto's father.

Sakura could not shake these thoughts. Enjoying a long cold, shower, with these ideas promulgating her mind. By the time Sakura was dry and fully clothed, in clothes bought from a nearby Suna boutique, she sensed Sasuke's presence next door. She made some final changes to her appearance and debated going next door to her elusive teammate.

Sasuke and her got along, well (maybe _too well,_ Kakashi would complain since the two smarter students tended to gang up on him) but she was not in the mood to have to explain her situation later. The young Uchiha was possessive about everything, from his material possessions to the people he cherished most. And there was no doubt that if she left an inkling of what had occurred in her morning, that would immediately mean detective Uchiha Sasuke was on her tail.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the possibility, Sakura knocked on the door with a small smile.

She could hear the shuffle of his feet on the tiled floor. Sasuke was still adorned with his usual clothes, looking incredibly out of place compared to the sepia-colors of the hidden village.

Sakura thought of a hundred different greetings toward the Uchiha, but it was Sasuke who spoke first. "Where were you today?"

"I was training." Sakura decidedly omitting Sasori from her statement, since the two did not seem to get along.

Sasuke nodded, "Track me down next time."

The pinkette fought the urge to roll her eyes and put a sassy hand on her waist, "Yeah, let me get my Uchiha tracker out."

Sasuke quirked a brow, "Weren't you _my fangirl?_ I feel like that would have been a necessity."

Instantly she was punching him in the shoulder, gesturing that she was surely going to kill him if he continued that line of thought. Letting out an amused sigh, Sasuke averted the conversation back on track.

"The dobe and I were with the Sand Siblings." Sasuke stated, "We could probably catch up with them for dinner."

 _Wait, shit._

 _"_ Thanks for letting me know. But I actually have plans tonight."

Sasuke raised a brow in question.

"Lady Chiyo invited me to have dinner with her family."

"Ah." Sasuke smirked, "Have fun."

Sakura paused, "Are you mocking me? Lady Chiyo is great company, she's a respectable kunoichi."

" _Respectable,_ how fun."

"People say the same thing about you, _asshat."_

"Yeah, but you actually like having dinner with me." Sasuke crossed his arms in a challenge.

Sakura smiled back at Sasuke, it seemed the two were always _sassing_ each other, despite their shared mass intellect. "Shut-up. I'll see you later." She waved goodbye, Sasuke inclining his head and not closing the door until she was out of eyesight.

Sakura smiled and turned to look out to Suna from the window. Just as she walked out the entrance, Sasori was turning the corner to the Inn that they were staying in.

"What are you smirking for asshole?" Sakura started as Sasori stopped in front of her.

Sasori shrugged, "Never thought you would ever be having dinner with my family."

"You think of me?" Sakura teased.

"Shut up, _brat."_

Sakura rolled her eyes, walking in step with Sasori toward the more populated part of town. She could make out the bright light and paved pathways toward the popular area of Suna.

"I should be the one smirking, if anything." Sakura teased.

"And why is that?" He asked in his usual, lazy tone of voice.

"I'm about to have dinner with your _family._ Who would probably have no reservations in talking about their _baby_ Sasori."

Sasori hesitated slightly in his steps alongside her, realizing her implications.

"I already hate this."

Sakura laughed out-loud, not pausing even when the red-head turned to lazily glare at her. It was strange, she was so used to being on the receiving end of much harsher glares - from multiple infamous Uchiha clan-members, that Sasori's felt like nothing. Rather, she chuckled slightly, which only infuriated the red-head more.

Who Sakura assumed as Sasori's parents, along with Lady Chiyo, were already seated in a booth at the restaurant. They were all sat on one side, forcing the two younger ninjas to sit together on the other side.

"The famed Sannin's apprentice." His mother introduced herself, rising to stand and hug the pinkette. "Chiyo was just telling us all about you."

It was easy to see where Sasori inherited most of his appearance from, his father adorned with the same shade of scruffy hair. "Hopefully all good things." Sakura joked, shaking hands with the older man and waving at Lady Chiyo from her spot.

"I'm glad you could join us." His mother was much more proper and friendly, making Sakura wonder just what molded the Sasori next to her. "I love this restaurant and it's very popular on nights like this. But since we usually come here, they gave us the special treatment and seated us." She winked.

"Thank you for the invitation."

"No worries. We usually eat out as a family, but it's nice to have visitors."

"Especially one as..." His father added, "special as you."

Sakura smiled at the statement, but tilted her head in question at what that really meant.

"Suna owes you a great deal." He slightly explained.

"Konoha will protect its allies, Suna especially."

"But _you_ are the one we offer gratitude to." The older man stressed, Chiyo's personality and similar words peaking through as Sakura recalled the multiple comments that ran parallel to other Suna-nin's words.

"I would never ignore someone in need, it's more than just my duty." Sakura stated, inwardly noting the mother's widening smile and Chiyo's proud disposition. It felt strange, like they were inspecting her every word.

"But enough about me, I would love to hear about your loving family." The pinkette mirrored the mother's grin, before turning to Sasori who was quietly examining each member of the table.

" _Little_ Sasori was nothing like he is now." She started.

"Mom. _"_ The young red-head stressed, eyes widening at what could possibly come next.

"Sasori was such a sweet kid, he used to play house with his smaller puppets!" Sakura could not stop the chuckle from escaping her mouth, causing Sasori to put a dejected palm on his forehead. "He had the whole nine yards, a nice little dollhouse so the mom and dad could settle down and have a child."

"Oh my god." Sakura turned to the man next to her, who held a tense smile.

"It was so cute, Sasori made them a civilian family for a while and would bring them to school -"

" _Mom."_

"Oh! There was the first time he cried at - "

Sakura was squealing at the sentence, but Sasori repeated his mother's name again, this time the desperate pleading not at all hidden from the occupants of the table.

"If only you had seen him then." Lady Chiyo commented.

"He probably would've still called me a brat, as a child." Sakura joked as she turned to the red-head next to her. Sasori said nothing, but the panic from earlier was squashed and replaced with a smirk.

"As he got older he took more after his father's reclusive nature." His mother gestured toward her impassive husband, "Some things haven't changed though. He was always the cutest child and now he's grown to be incredibly handsome, don't you agree?"

It was Sakura's turn to tense at her words, causing Sasori's smirk to widen and turn his attention fully to the pinkette next to him.

"I'll admit, Sasori is very handsome and formidable fighter." Sakura conceded, there was no point in hiding it.

His mother instantly turned to Sasori, making him sigh and mutter a low _thanks._ But that was not enough, his mother clearing her throat in a loud voice.

"And you're one of a kind." Sasori stated with a blank tone of voice.

Sakura chuckled and waved her hand haphazardly, "That's probably the most I expect out of you."

Dinner was coming along much less awkward than Sakura expected. She would have never guessed that Sasori had such an animated mother, one that reminded the pinkette of her own even. Sasori did not have a perfect family, but he had one that loved him and it was obvious just from looking on for one night. Sakura excused herself to the bathroom and Sasori _knew_ what they were going to say.

"I approve." His father started.

Sasori did _not_ expect that. His impassive, hardened warrior of a father, approved of someone he barely knew. Sasori was popular, simply off looks, in his village. And his father made it known that he did not favor any single one of them. Not even the latest friendly brown-haired chūnin, who grew in popularity and made her interest in Sasori basically village-known. Apparently, she was just _too boring_ for the red-head, a push-over and a personality trait that would easily bore both Sasori and his father.

"She's beautiful." His mother commented, "Friendly and one of the strongest women on this planet."

"You've never even seen her fight." Sasori countered.

"Being Lady Tsundade's apprentice while coming from a civilian family seems like an astounding feat in itself." She disputed, "But you're right. I haven't seen her fight. I should ask her if she would be willing to spar tomorrow."

"Wait." Sasori stopped her before realizing he had said anything at all.

"Yes?"

"She's unlike anyone else you've ever fought. Just don't underestimate her."

"How sweet of you." She knew that was Sasori's little way of worrying and caring for her, but she was his mom _goddamnit._ She could protect herself, she was a jōnin for Kami's sake!

"I walked in on them training this afternoon." Chiyo commented.

"Training? Or _training?"_ She emphasized the last question with a raised brow, one that held certain implications and a silent innuendo.

 _"Mom."_

"Sakura was beating his ass."

" _I won."_ Sasori's voice could not sound any more exasperated, but he knew they were only half-listening to his words. There was no point in fighting it now, they had their minds set on something and there was no stopping them.

Sasori knew his family better than anyone and he should have guessed from Chiyo's first words at seeing him and Sakura train would inevitably lead to this moment. Who would have thought that the loudmouthed _brat_ would have grown to be one of the most renowned kunoichi in the world? It was just his luck.

Sakura smiled as she returned to the table, unsure why Sasori looked even _more_ _tired_ while the females of the table seemed to be hiding something.

"We were just talking and I would love to spar, if you have the time?" His mother asked.

"I would love to!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Of course, but I do have to admit that I do have a selfish reason in sparing with you." She winked, "I just want to asses the true power of someone from our rival village."

"No worries!" Sakura winked back, "I won't go easy."

"I hope not. I just don't want to take up too much of your time since you're only here for a limited amount of time."

"Honestly, they've been holding us here longer than usual without any clear reason and it's made me antsy to just do something."

She smiled, "I'm sure Sasori has kept you entertained."

Sakura paused, keeping her next words careful and guarded. "I'm sorry?"

"I won't pry into your guys' private life, if you're worried about that." His mom continued, as if that was supposed to explain her previous words.

Sakura turned to Sasori, who slid his narrowed eyes from his grandmother to his mom. "What do you mean?"

"I would hate to take too much time from my son and his long-distance girlfriend." She iterated.

" _wHaT?!"_ Sakura blurted out as Sasori held his face in his hands in utter embarrassment.

"Don't be shy. How has Sasori been treating you?"

"End me please." Sasori whispered toward the sky, making Sakura laugh as she shook her head.

"I promise you. I am not his girlfriend." Sakura explained.

"Ah, I understand." She nodded, "He didn't even get you a ring?"

"Why is this happening?" Sasori asked on deaf ears.

"I raised you to treat your fiancé better."

Sakura sputtered, planting her face in her hands in order to find the right words to say next. She turned to Sasori, who seemed just as surprised and even had a hint of a rosy coloring on his cheeks.

"We..." Sakura started, thinking carefully about her words.

"Are in love?" Lady Chiyo continued, making Sakura huff with stress and Sasori laugh at his own misfortune.

"Looks like we all have great taste in food." Temari greeted from the path behind the Sakura and Sasori, waving at the group.

Temari recognized instantly Lady Chiyo along with Sasori's parents, it was family night after all and anyone who knew their family automatically knew they'd be out together tonight. But the blonde felt herself physically pause at the addition of bright pink hair at the table. Kankurō, feeling nothing was wrong, greeted Sakura with a kind smile and wave.

It was strange, seeing the Shinboi without his usual face-paint. But honestly, the fact that he was up and running out of the hospital had Sakura smiling. Kankurō made sure to continually shower the pinkette with eternal thanks for saving his life, to which she would always say that she was glad just to help him recover.

"You know we love this restaurant! Besides, we just got back and wanted to eat with family." Sasori's mother replied.

Kankurō smiled but slowly narrowed his eyes, looking between the two young, unattached and _single_ members of the group.

"Oh."

Sakura could almost physically see the internal cogs working in Temari's head, as she turned from Sakura to Sasori and his immediate family.

"Don't let me interrupt meeting your lover's parents! We'll just pickup our food, you didn't even notice us. See you tomorrow Sakura!" She said as she laughed and walked away, Kankurō sheepishly waving goodbye as he followed his sister.

"Oh god." Sakura sighed. "We are not together, at all." Sakura pointed between her and the puppeteer.

"Really?"

"Yes." Sasori answered, this time.

"But I saw you two, this morning."

"We were just sparring." He stated.

"Hm, I see." His mother slowly realized, but then asked. "Why not?"

"What?"

"Why aren't you two dating?"

Sakura chuckled, "We can barely be alone without setting each other on fire." Sasori nodded aggressively in agreement.

"There's a fine line between love and hate." His mother teased, waving her eyebrows.

"Believe me..."

"Hold on." His mother, interrupted. "You two are young, single ninjas who find each other attractive. And you're also comfortable enough to trust each other in battle. Is it truly hate or some _type_ of tension?"

"I want to be disowned." Sasori stated with a straight face.

"We just don't know each other enough. Especially since he's here and I'm in Konoha, it would be a huge commitment."

"So it is true." Chiyo expressed.

"What is?" Sakura wondered.

"That you find Sasori attractive."

" _Oh my god."_ Sakura held her head, unsure what to even say to make this conversation just move away. She glanced at Sasori, the puppeteer who always exhumed elegance and propriety, rendered speechless and annoyed from his mother.

"I'm just teasing, sweetheart. But you two would make a good match." Chiyo added.

Thankfully, they switched the topic right after. But that did not stop the thought of being together from promulgating in the young ninja's minds. Sasori kept glancing toward the pinkette, she was remarkable in every unconventional way. And damn sure acted like a _brat_ at times, but that did not stop him from seeking out her company while she was in town or vice versa.

Sakura could not lie, Sasori was _hella_ attractive. But everything about him screamed that he was not interested in her. The red-head seemed like the type that would always speak from his mind, not caring how his words affected the people around him. If he thought or felt something, he would express it without a filter. And he made it clear on multiple occasions that he enjoyed teasing her, but not actually pursuing her. If anything, their relationship was a silent, mutual agreement that they would continually pester each other as friends.

His mother pushed Sasori to walk Sakura back to the Inn, "Your apartment isn't far from there anyway."

No matter how _angsty_ Sasori tried to make himself seem, he still hugged his grandmother and mother goodnight, wishing them a safe walk home before venturing away with Sakura.

"Want to take the scenic route?" Sasori asked, "It doesn't seem like a local guide has shown you how beautiful Sunagakure really is."

Sakura smiled and nodded, walking alongside the puppeteer.

They neared a small fountain, dirt paths laid-out from metal lanterns lining the way. There was still numerous amount of people enjoying the crisp evening, air the perfect combination of warmth without the blazing sun.

"There's so much more to Suna than it's reputation." Sakura commented, deciding on breaking the ice. "Your family is sweet."

Sasori led them to the edge of the fountain, guiding her to sit down right alongside him, all the while smirking at her words, "They tend to be intravenous. Ignore them."

"No worries, I feel like once you hit a certain age all moms are like that." Sakura reassured, "I actually enjoyed tonight, so thank you."

Sasori looked slightly to the right before returning back to Sakura's bright emerald eyes, smirk replaced with a small smile. "You're not too bad."

"I want to get to know you." Sakura declared, "Sorry if that's a little too forward. But honestly I like this friendlier side of you. I feel like we could really be friends and rivals, like my mentor and your grandmother. Except not at war."

But at Sasori's lack of reply, Sakura was twitching with uncertainty, "We don't have to..."

"No, I would to get to know you too." He affirmed, neutral grin still prevalent on his visage. Sakura smiled brightly at his words, the action easily affecting the usually hardened puppeteer and making him widen his own grin.

"You're such a weirdo." He teased, making her roll her eyes. But they quickly widened in surprise when he took a small lock of her pink hair, pushing it to sit comfortably behind her ear.

"Sasori, if you're not careful, people may think you're flirting with me." She teased.

"So?" He simply asked, smirk back on his face as Sakura lit up bright red, from the tips of her ears to front cheekbones.

"Sakura-chan?"

The pinkette immediately froze at the all _too_ familiar voice of her teammate, turning to see that he was accompanied with the Sand Siblings and Sasuke.

Naruto knew that Sakura had every right to be interested in whoever, but that did not stop the fact that he absolutely _loved_ his teammate. He may no longer be _in love_ with her, but he cared about her to a point that was infamous. Naruto wanted the absolute best for his teammate, friend, and basically sister in his eyes. And when the older Uchiha Itachi seemed to be hanging around Sakura a little _too_ much for his liking, the blond was at an impasse of trusting the long-time ANBU captain and potential heartbreaker for his best-friend. Don't even get him started on Sakura's ambiguous relationship with their shared, stoic teammate. Sasuke... he was not sure where to start with that garbage fire.

But Sasori was another story.

"So this is what you said you'd be... doing." Sasuke stated with a raised brow, looking from the pinkette to Sasori and their close proximity.

Sakura raised a fist was prepared to outwardly make a threat on his life, but was interrupted before she had the chance to do so.

"In public too?" Temari laughed as she asked.

"Are you guys on a date?" Naruto voiced, seemingly the only person who was taking this situation seriously.

"Yeah, we saw her at restaurant. She just had dinner with his family." Temari answered, raising her fingers to visually explain the situation. "Meeting the in-laws."

"That serious?" Naruto was incredulous, how this red-head seemingly appeared from nowhere and already had a history with his teammate.

Sasuke looked on with a cautious expression, saying nothing.

"And here I was hoping that pink-hair would forever taint the Uchiha gene pool!" Temari added.

"No, we're not dating." Sakura jumped in, before anyone could add something and she almost had to physically fight the urge to throttle someone.

Naruto took a hard look at her, before his suddenly dark eyes shifted to the puppeteer beside her.

"So what are you two doing here? Alone?"

"His family invited me to dinner, that's it."

It was clear the blond would be unhappy with whatever answer she gave and Sakura wanted nothing more than for the conversation to finally change.

"But what about now?"

Sakura took in a breath and Sasori was looking blank as ever, having yet to say a word to the group that approached them. Sakura guessed he was inwardly muttering _brats_ or something of the like.

"I'm asking for her hand in marriage, what else?" Sasori asked, lifting an expectant brow at the blond and Sakura fought the urge to punch him into his own grave.

Temari hollered at the joked, Kankurō smiling and clapping in congratulations. Sasuke folded his arms, smirk on his face at his teammate's utter displeasure (whilst hiding his own mix of annoyance). Of course the Uchiha was the usual other half to Sakura's _salt squad,_ but that did not stop the fact that he often directed it to her as well.

"I'll kill you."

"Whatever, _brat."_

Temari screamed _sexual tension_ and Sakura had half the mind to just walk right out of the village then and there and head home. But Sasori simply patted her thigh and stood up, signalling for her to do the same.

"We got a scroll earlier, we're heading home tomorrow morning." Sasuke stated finally, breaking the awkward silence and helping the pinkette move the conversation along.

"Great." Sakura stood at this information, "Well, what are you guys doing out here?"

"We had dinner just now and we wanted to show you _unrefined_ Konoha-nin the beauty of Suna." Temari answered sassily with an amused smile, a tense tick instantly showing on Sasuke's forehead at his supposed lack of decorum.

The two joined the group, the Konoha boys silently making sure that that red-head and pinkette stood at completely opposite ends of their makeshift crew. Sakura inwardly rolled her eyes at their protective nature, but said nothing outwardly or run the risk them wondering why she would want to be close to Sasori. Rather, the pinkette would find her emerald eyes drawing to Sasori's person, seeing lazy and amused eyes as she quickly averted her own.

She failed to noticed the perceptive eyes of a certain Uchiha watching this interaction. Finding his own fist clenched at the abashed actions, but saying nothing aloud.

Sasori even walked with them as they returned back to the Inn, Sakura suddenly remembering and turning to the red-head.

"Oh wait. I can't spar with your mom tomorrow. Can you...?" She trailed off with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, sure." Sasori responded, not willing to look at her fully and fall privy to her attempted puppy eyes.

"Oof already training with the in-laws?" Temari asked, but Sakura knew better than to feed into her teasing. That's too bad that that fact did not deter the blond at all.

"Sucks, you'll be missing out on some of the true power of Suna." Kankurō added.

Sakura said without thought, "Maybe next time."

Temari latched onto that statement immediately, "Yeah, sometime before your wedding."

The group soon found themselves standing under the light sign signifying their Inn, issuing goodbye's and goodnight's to one another before the Konoha trio retreated inside.

"I guess I'll see you around, if not tomorrow." Sakura addressed Sasori, who nodded.

 _Pfft,_ Sakura bristled inwardly. He was trying a little _too hard_ not to look like the momma's boy she knew in front of the others. Maybe it was to preserve his Suna street-cred.

The pinkette struggled to sleep, mind wandering to the events that occurred throughout her day and just the thought of finally returning home. She was too excited, it had been a little over a week of sitting around witlessly. It was rare for the apprentice to a Sannin to have nothing tasked to her, not shifts at the hospital or even the mounds of paperwork that sat in Tsunade's office. Sakura could literally feel the excitement in her fingertips, thinking to her village - _her home._

The Kazekage, along with Rasa and his children, met the Konoha delegation at the village gates. Kakashi offered a cordial wave goodbye while Sakura and Sasuke stood to the sides of Naruto. Again, the pinkette found herself at the receiving end of many compliments for her achievements the last few days. She affirmed that it was her duty to her heart to help those in need, Kankurō smiling at seeing the kind-hearted side of the same woman who could render mountains to rubble.

Sakura watched with wide eyes and an equally wide smile, as both Jinchūriki regarded one another and shook arms in farewell.

It was pure moment, one that Sakura burned into memory, at seeing the silent Gaara opening up to the warm personality of Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

"Welcome home." Minato greeted Team Kakashi as they stood proudly before the Hokage (and for one _father)._

Kakashi voiced a rudimentary status report, one that would later be paired with a more detailed written one.

"It's alarming that a missing-nin, from Konoha no less, would run this rampant." Minato started, "We've received more intel from an ANBU team and they will continue to pursue him."

Sakura spotted Naruto's grimace and Sasuke's tells of annoyance, they were obviously unhappy that they were not the ones tasked with following Orochimaru, but it could not be helped given Naruto's circumstance.

"For now, we have one regarding Orochimaru's growing circle and his possible alliances. Report back here tomorrow night for the briefing and be prepared to leave in a few days." The Hokage stated, "The rest of you, save for Sakura, may leave."

"What? Dad-" But the look on Minato's face was enough to shut the blond up.

"Kushina made some homemade ramen for dinner." He smiled as he addressed Naruto, "Do you really want to risk being late?"

All who were present could _literally_ see Naruto weighing the options in his mind: contesting his father and undoubtedly getting a _beat-down_ from his mother or going home and enjoying his mother's cooking.

There was only one clear answer.

Sheepishly scratching the back of his head, Naruto waved goodbye to the group and headed home, thoughts now on the ramen he was about to enjoy!

Sasuke took a long-look at Sakura, before heading out of the Hokage Tower as well.

Minato sighed before turning to the only female. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I wouldn't have unless you were asked for personally."

"Mission?"

"ANBU Mission." Minato added, sifting through the scrolls on his desk until he reached the one for the poor pinkette.

"When do I leave?"

"You just returned, no one will think less of you if you decline." Sakura frowned at his words, but there was no doubt that he was Naruto's father, protective nature obvious. There was no secret that Minato loved his son and, by extension, cared for his close friends.

"We spent the last few days lounging in Suna, I think I'm okay." She had to fight the sarcastic edge in her words.

"Then you will meet with the ANBU team at your usual spot at dawn." Minato explained, "You will be aiding them in their direct observation of Orochimaru. They were pulled out before since they ran the risk of encountering the deadly poison, but the Kazekage has informed me that you were able to neutralize it."

"Yes, but it seems there are multiple strands of a similar poison throughout the ranks of his people. I'm willing to bet Orochimaru has switched it to something else already, but they all seem to have the same general base. I have vials of the antidote with me and can make more, but I fear they will be short-lived solutions."

"Alright." Minato took in her words carefully, "I would still prefer them to have a medic, especially one of your caliber."

"Okay."

Sakura mulled over the physical scroll entailing the mission, mindlessly walking out of the Hokage Tower as her eyes glazed across the writing.

"What was that about?"

The pinkette nearly used the scroll as a weapon, arms positioned to throw the object with chakra-laced power, if not for identifying the face of her stoic teammate.

"I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow morning."

She spotted the tense movement in his jaw, signifying he clenched his teeth momentarily. "ANBU?"

Sakura hesitated, "Yeah."

"Stay safe, okay?"

Nodding and smiling at her teammate, Sakura vocally affirmed his question and then lightly punched at his shoulder. But from his serious visage, Sakura was wondering if he truly was worried about her.

"Seriously, Sakura."

"I promise. I'll do my best to come back in one piece." She comforted, putting a sure hand on his shoulder.

Sasuke took a good look at her face, taking in her curious visage and determined eyes, before nodding and walking in the direction of the Uchiha compound. It was clear that her teammate was unhappy with her and the recent development. He showed his own brand of care, but Sakura was not going to deny a mission she was personally requested for. He would just have to deal.

It turned out to be a good call, anyway.

"Good to see you with us." Genma greeted, when Sakura approached the ANBU team, adorned with her own personal regalia.

"It lowkey makes me nervous, is the poison as bad as it's rumored?" Shisui asked as he waved at the pinkette.

Sakura hesitated, but answered. "The affects were instantaneous. Even with a vial, I felt it eating at my own skin. But it's meant to injure, to the point where the victim could do nothing but wait until it ate at their body completely."

"Sounds great." Genma commented as he sighed.

"Do you still have the extra vials?" Sakura asked toward the leader, who had already donned on his mask and had yet to add to the conversation.

"One is with Lady Tsunade to analyze, otherwise yes the rest are." Itachi answered.

"I would not be surprised if they only work as short-term solutions now, Orochimaru made it evident that he did not rely on just one poison."

Itachi nodded at her response, then instructed the ANBU team out of Konoha.

Within twenty-hours they were on a hot trail leading to Orochimaru himself. Their orders were only to observe and gather intelligence until there was more time or a better plan for their kill orders, but that was all shot to pure _shit_ in a matter of seconds.

It became evident that Orochimaru had a certain obsession with the Uchiha clan, specifically the Sharingan.

Even more so, Orochimaru wanted Uchiha Itachi, the very leader of this very dangerous and very risky mission.

And it was this want that had Orochimaru charging right at the Konoha ANBU team, a fight ensuing immediately and ending with all parties retreating. The ANBU had been worse off before, but without a clear plan and the fatigue of an ongoing battle, it was wiser to retreat. Both left with various scratches, the brunt of all the attacks landing on Orochimaru.

And, for once in a long time, Haruno Sakura was afraid of Itachi's power.

Yes, it was undeniable that he was a strong shinobi. Maybe even one of the best across all the villages. And when facing off against the Sannin, the Uchiha had utilized a particular attack that even Sakura, teammate to another main house clansman, had never seen before. He closed and reopened his eyes to a form of his Sharingan, one that made Shisui panic that the situation was getting out of hand and Genma suggest retreat.

Sakura was sure the fight would have been their's if not for their duty to Konoha - they had not been ordered by the Hokage to kill him, and their need to simply subdue him was much harder when they were trying not to end his life.

They were an three hours away from Konoha and on their way back to the village when both Shisui and Genma felt the affects of her antidote slipping, a kunai had simply grazed them during the fight and somehow it was enough to render two of the best ANBU in dangerous condition.

Sakura cursed her red-headed counterpart in Suna, the puppeteer just _had_ to make such a deadly poison.

The non-injured members of the team settled on flickering back the rest of the way to the village, chakra and stamina be damned, their teammates were in danger.

The pinkette had Genma's arm across her shoulder and felt a complete wave of vertigo pass through her body as she side-step and crossed the mass amount of distance to get to the hospital within seconds. She staggered and it helped that she had the good sense of bringing them directly to the lobby, nurses recognizing her immediately and springing into action to help and father Genma themselves.

Sakura felt herself sway and accidentally slammed her shoulder into the wall behind her, before she reoriented herself quickly and barked out orders.

Even though Sakura was also injured, she was not as bad as her ANBU teammates. She chalked it up to the fact that she had been in constant contact and continual testing of the antidote, her body having time to adjust and be wary of the poison unlike her counterparts who were encountering if for the first time. This was also the same reasoning Sakura used in her defense for healing both Shisui and Genma personally.

Naruto and Sasuke were at the hospital the moment they sensed Sakura was back in the village, chakra pulsing when she first flickered back to the hospital.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when both her teammates were stabilized, her mentor desperate to kick her out of the room and place the pinkette in one of her own. Before that could happen, the pinkette took one good look at both men before exiting the room and leaning against the wall opposite to the door, sliding down against it until her bottom touched the floor.

"How are they?" Her captain asked, leaving the mission completely unscathed and without a single indicator that he was even on the mission, if not for his uniform.

"Stable." Sakura bit out, finding her voice smaller than usual.

"And you?"

Sakura glanced over the Uchiha, not saying a word as she attempted to pull herself up to standing position.

But she felt herself waver, then finally fall.

The first thing she heard was the beep of the hospital and that for once, she was the patient rather than the doctor.

Cracking open her groggy eyes, she spotted both Naruto and Sasuke in the seats next to the bed, and considered trying to make an escape before both boys started to _nag_ her.

But that was short-lived when her mentor, the female Sannin famed for her earth-shattering punches and seal on her forehead, burst through the door and was already yelling at her apprentice.

"I have half the mind to request you off the roster for a _whole month_ for pulling shit like this." She bellowed, not at all caring for the napping occupants of the room or the fact that her voice rang in Sakura's head.

Both of her teammates stood with stiff postures at the appearance of the blonde woman, being startled out of their cat-naps with the sudden noise.

"They would've been on their deathbeds if I didn't act quickly - !"

"And so would you, if not for the damned Uchiha." She quickly interrupted, "You are staying in this bed until I say so, that's a direct order."

"Who are you, the Hokage?" Sakura muttered under her breathe, but seeing the blond quickly whip around to turn at the pinkette with a large glare, Sakura decided she was not going to win this fight.

And when Sakura spotted the worried looks of both her teammates, she knew it was just the start.

Naruto whined that she had left for a mission so quickly after their last and without her team even! Even when Sakura had said she was personally requested due to the presence of the poison, he simply brushed it aside in his fit of anger. It ended with him crossing his arms and turning to the window outside, for once uncharacteristically quiet.

Sasuke had yet to say anything, simply standing at her bedside and allowing Sakura to feel the absolute brunt of his strong gaze as he stared at her.

"This doesn't count as staying safe."

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

Sasuke scowled, closing his eyes and sighing, _how could their best-friend be_ _such an idiot?_

"Do you not care about how much we care about you?" Sasuke bit out, onyx eyes narrowed as he peered down at her sitting position.

"Sasuke I-"

But he silenced her immediately as he poked her on the forehead, action silencing her in surprise.

"Do you not care about the people who are waiting for you at home?"

"Of course, I do!"

"Then act like it."

"Sasuke, I don't regret healing them first. If it was you and Naruto I would have gladly done the same. I won't let the precious people around me suffer. Don't act like..."

She trailed off, but it was evident to the Uchiha what she wanted to continue saying.

 _Don't act like I can't handle it._

Sasuke took a hard look at her, before pulling the chair by the leg to sit exactly where he was standing, sitting close to the bed of his injured teammate. Naruto turned toward the pinkette from his spot at the window, not quite getting the message like Sasuke had, as the blond quirked a brow and watched the interaction between his two teammates.

"Sakura, I would do anything to keep you safe." Naruto broke the silence.

"I'm not someone you need to protect." Sakura sighed, "I haven't been training this long and this hard just to take a step-back."

"I'm not saying that."

"Then what are you saying?"

Naruto took a hard look at his teammate, bright blue eyes clashing with the heated emerald. "I just wished you cared about yourself as much as I care about you."

Sakura paused, sucking in a hard breath at his honest words.

"Okay." She nodded, "I'm sorry."

Naruto felt a wistful grin break his countenance as he crossed the room, grabbing her free arm as he sat to run it in a comforting motion. He would rather bring her into a hug instead, but given her circumstance that just was not possible.

Kakashi visited later, his salty words less seasoned as he admonished her for her injury, but commended her for her saintly gesture. While the pinkette had been admitted in the hospital for much worse, her sensei knew to take Sakura's word with a hint of salt since she tended to place others' needs above her own. Now was not the time to deal with this ongoing problem. Rather, Kakashi joked that she could have waited on Genma, _the womanizer could probably be taken down a peg._

Sakura laughed at this and appreciated the warm gesture - Kakashi patting her on the head for her accomplishment before disappearing with his book in hand.

Her teammates near haunted the room and when Itachi walked in alone, without anyone else with her, Sakura worried why he had such a tense posture.

"You never told me you were injured." He started.

"I didn't matter at the time."

Itachi glanced at her figure on the hospital bed as he lifted a brow, "This does not matter?"

"They were in critical condition and I was still in good enough shape to flicker back home and heal them. Believe me, it could have been much worse if we waited."

"The same could be said for you." Itachi reasoned, "Why didn't you let anyone know after the surgery?"

"I was going to." Sakura quickly answered, "But you know what happened next."

Itachi took a hard look at her, saying nothing as she felt his intense gaze continue to peer at her.

"Itachi, you know personally how far gone both your teammate and cousin were. It's my duty as a medic to ensure their safety."

"And what if you were relieved of your own life? Then who would help them then?"

Sakura hesitated, "That's different. I knew I would be out of critical condition enough to help them."

Itachi's gaze did not hinder. Rather, it narrowed further as he took a step closer to her hospital bed.

"I find no reason to request a medic who cannot curb their need for self-sacrifice." He stated, words piercing the silence air as Sakura clamored to find anything to say after his pronouncement.

"Excuse me?"

But he did not respond, simply turning and walking out of the hospital room.

Sakura never felt so alone.

Even when Sasuke had returned an hour later with some food from the stand across their river, Sakura still felt her dampened mood. Even when he had asked, Sakura simply frowned and muttered _Itachi is an asshole._

"Yeah, what's new?" Sasuke joked as he fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Sasuke knew of the strange relationship between his female teammate and his older brother. Itachi would not request for the pinkette so much if he thought her inadequate. And a smaller part of Sasuke felt the need to hiss and claim Sakura as his own whenever she was asked to join Itachi's ANBU one. There was no doubt that the two had gotten closer in his and Naruto's absence for training.

But Sakura was _their's,_ not even time could stop that fact now.

That did not stop the apparent care Itachi held for the pinkette, even if his older brother would deny it. Sasuke was at the hospital when Sakura carted away Genma and Shisui, Itachi sitting in the waiting room as the status of his teammates were unknown. This was his brother, and the tells that everyone else would deem as blank or neutral did not fool Sasuke. Itachi's firm posture (more so than usual), unblinking eyes, and the fact that he was trying _just a little too hard_ to look impartial - he knew Itachi was hiding a much more tantamount reaction.

Itachi was worried.

Which was why Sasuke did not want to push Sakura for more details. There was no doubt that Itachi had addressed the situation just as he and Naruto had the day before, verbally assaulting her lack of care for her own person.

 _How_ Itachi did it exactly, there was no doubt his older brother struggled with social norms and it probably ended explosively.

Not wanting to be on the receiving end of Sakura's mean right-hook or Itachi's sharingan, Sasuke let it go for now and simply offered Sakura the cucumbers in his meal in exchange for her tomatoes.

She said nothing, motioning to do it already without noticing that they had fallen into a rhythm.

To borrow the words of one of his friends:

 _This was rather troublesome._

* * *

It was rare for Sakura to be alone during her time in the hospital. But since she was grounded and taken completely off duty from all her responsibilities, it was making her anxious to just _move along_ and do something. Ino nearly _slam-dunked_ the pinkette's head to the bed when she heard of her injury, there was no doubt to the blonde that her long-term bestfriend thought of others before she worried about herself.

Sakura smiled at her strange mix of love and worry, Ino would always be someone she was close to, it was refreshing. Once the blonde got enough of her pent-up energy out, Sakura gave a small summary since she had last seen her. Leaving out some details due to confidentiality, Sakura iterated her time with Sasori and his family all the way to leaving for her mission with Itachi. Ino surged at the idea of two elusive bachelors, the infamous red-head who was known to reject all confessions of love and the Uchiha who never made a move to even be _suspected_ in a relationship.

Sakura rolled her eyes, saying it was nothing and Ino fought the urge to snort at such an obvious lie.

Another day in the hospital and Sakura thanked her teammates and friends for dealing with her brisk personality, eager to get out of the room already.

"So antsy to leave already? I thought you loved my face." Sasuke teased as he shared his take-out dinner with her hospital one.

"Sasuke, I will kill you."

He simply lifted a brow in amusement, saying nothing.

Within two days, the pinkette was cleared to leave and her legs often took her to the poisons department.

Tsunade had already created replicas of her antidote, but it hardly mattered if their enemy was constantly changing the poison. When she communicated this to Rin, she simply stated it was better to have a general solution than nothing, since it was hard to fight something you knew nothing of.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan." Rin commented as she walked along, Sakura alongside her. "Be proud that you were able to stabilize Kankurō. From what I heard, not even the Suna medics could get him down to a healthy level.

"I know." Sakura smiled at the compliment, but continued to the lab she often haunted. Rin recognized that glint of determination in the young kunoichi's eyes, as if she was dead-set on something and nothing would stop her until she reached a solution.

Rin lifted a hand to the pinkette's shoulder, "Hey, take it easy. You were just recently discharged.

"I know, but we need to be prepared." Sakura commented back with a smile, before continuing down the hall.

At the next Team 7 training session, it was Sasuke's turn to host dinner (or Mikoto, really). And when Itachi was not present at the table later, it was clear where he was missing to.

He was on a mission.

Sakura frowned when she realized this, staring at the empty seat while the conversation continued on without her. Obviously, Itachi had not requested her this time, even when their target was most likely the same. He never gave empty threats and while Sakura was somewhat annoyed that he had ignored her reasoning, she knew she deserved it. She was rendered injured in the hospital for days, of course he would not request her! But this also indicated that he was really mad at her.

Like _really mad._

It was rare for Itachi to display emotions, Sakura knew the tells of expressions on his blank face from their prolonged contact, but it was still very small and rare. So when Itachi physically displayed his annoyance and anger toward her, Sakura knew she _fucked up._

It took so long for Itachi to grow to trust her, months of being teammates grew to two years and even then she was still learning new things about him. But now, she could only imagine he had categorized her differently in his mind now, irresponsible maybe.

"Something wrong, Sakura-chan?" The pinkette heard, tearing herself away from her train of thought and back to the greeting Mikoto had just asked.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." Sakura answered as she shook her head to clear her mind, "Just hope Itachi stays safe."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Naruto fought the urge to yell.

Mikoto smiled slowly, eyes never leaving the pinkette as she fully appreciated her words. "I'm glad you care about my son."

Sakura smiled back, unsure what to say.

"I'm sure he will take every precaution to stay safe." She added, "If anything, he was more worried for you."

"Ah." Sakura addressed, "But I've been training hard enough to handle myself."

"Of course." Mikoto noted with a glint in her eye that the pinkette would categorize as mischievous, "But Itachi holds a special place in his heart for certain people."

Sakura pondered for a single second if she should comment on the matriarch's statement, but just as quickly decided to stay quiet.

"Of course, this is not the first time you've had to deal with some very protective boys, is it not?" Mikoto teased as her eyes slid to her teammates at the table.

Naruto felt the need to rub at a particular spot behind his neck while Sasuke decided on sipping his tea and looking to the side. Sakura chuckled at the matriarch's very true words. While Itachi was very much more mature, there was no doubt that he held the protective trait that both her _Alpha_ teammates possessed as well.

When Itachi returned, Sakura found the quiet Uchiha in the lobby of the hospital. It seemed he had just returned from the mission and was about to head home, Sakura mused.

 _That_ meant that the older Uchiha must have been _really, really_ mad at her.

Itachi was one of the many ANBU's who tended to avoid the hospital altogether, unless a complete necessity. He would either learn to do something rudimentary on his own or seek the healing of Sakura in her own personal abode (more often than not it was the later, even into the wayward hours of the early morning before daybreak).

But now that the Uchiha was taking specific measures to avoid Sakura, it made her wonder if his anger at her was now permanent.

Sakura took a deep breathe and approached him, hoping to be the bigger person in this situation.

"Welcome back from your mission." She greeted as she neared him, Itachi simply nodding at her in greeting. "Would you like to have lunch tomorrow? I wish to... expand my apology from our last conversation."

Itachi nodded again and took off, never uttering a word at all toward the pinkette.

She hated this more than anything - it really seems like the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

But true to his word _or nod if anything,_ Itachi met with Sakura at their usual teppanyaki place, much to her surprise.

He took the seat across from her with a dignified presence, glancing at her quickly before scanning the menu (even thought he usually got the same thing on a daily rotation).

"I asked you here because I wanted to formally apologize." Sakura started, looking at Itachi who turned to look at her the moment she started speaking. "As a medic-nin, it's my duty to do everything in power to save. But, it goes much further than that for the people I care about. I would give-up so much for other people, without realizing it. I'm sorry if my actions could have jeopardized the mission."

"I understand." Itachi replied after a few seconds of silence, the first time she had heard his voice personally in days.

"Okay, that's good." She added, unsure what to say.

"What truly bother me is that you have yet to do anything to change."

Her eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"This is not the first nor even third instance of this happening." Itachi responded, "You are aware of your weakness and have done nothing to curb it even in the presence of life or death."

"I'll never stop protecting my teammates - especially ones I've personally grown fond of."

"You allow your emotions to get in the way of your mission?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question, however.

"If it's concerning my teammates, of course."

"Then it seems we've reached an impasse."

Sakura sighed,"Then I guess I was never really cut out for your team."

Itachi blinked, surprised at the sudden development and her giving up, despite her usual blunt determination. It was not like he gave her any other choice, though. With his harsh statements and stoic words, Sakura was surprised that this was the same man who she had grown attached to over the last few months.

"Why? I care about my friends - Naruto, Sasuke, you." She missed the fractional narrowing of Itachi's eyes at the mention of his younger brother. "And if I can do something, then I'll always take the chance."

Itachi paused, then responded. "Do not confuse your affections for my younger brother onto me."

It felt as though the air from her lungs were knocked out of her, as if his words alone were capable of truly rendering her speechless and unable to _even breathe._

 _"_ Excuse me?"

"It was come to my knowledge that you confessed such feelings for-"

"Like seven years ago! I barely even knew how much of an _ass_ he was at the time and then he left the village for two years!" Sakura exclaimed, "You cannot be serious right now."

"However, it is true-"

"I thought we were friends, Itachi." Sakura interrupted, "Why can't you see that I care about you, just because you're you. I don't have a hidden agenda or some clan politics, I care about _you._ "

Itachi stared with his neutral expression, saying nothing to someone he silently considered a friend as well, but feared something so irrational.

"Why?"

"What do you mean _why?"_ She huffed, "I see you as Itachi - my cold ANBU captain who loves dango and teppanyaki more than he would admit out-loud. As someone who would love nothing more than to sit and watch the clouds if allowed to break his aristocratic countenance _just once._ As someone who loves his mom and would do anything for Konoha."

"I care about you, because you're you, Itachi." Sakura explained, trying desperately to get her point across.

Itachi narrowed his eyes further, another sign that he was beyond incredulous for her words.

Sakura sighed, turning her gaze down to the table, to which they had yet to even order food. "Figures, you've never trusted me anyway."

The pinkette decidedly stood up from her seat, the chair screeching out from under her as it was pushed back. "This was a mistake, I guess I'll see you around, Uchiha-san." She bit out as she walked out of the restaurant.

Once outside, she decided on side-stepping into her apartment and had to withhold screaming aloud once she got there. Had she spent the last year completely in vain? Itachi was someone who would do more than request her on missions - he would agree to lunches and sparring, had accompanied her multiple times to the market, and would silently make his way to her apartment when injured since she was the medic he relied on most.

And yet? He did not understand that she cared about him?

Did he even think of them as friends?

Sakura instantly felt her heart plummet, dejection taking over her as the most she could do was verbally let out her problems to the empty apartment.

Ino later advised Sakura to _drop him like it's hot._ And had even high-fived the pinkette when referring to Itachi by his last name rather than his first, signifying that _she_ was the one who was formally placing the distance in their relationship.

But it still broke her heart, even days after. Sakura reminisced over their relationship and realized that she often found herself having lunch at the Uchiha main house, even before when Sasuke had left the village, and _yet_ Itachi still did not understand?

Maybe that time really was wasted.

And when Itachi requested her presence as a member to one of the team's ANBU missions the next day, Sakura kept a steady, confident face as she verbally confirmed her denial to the Hokage.

Minato raised a brow in surprise and asked if everything was okay. After a few beats of silence, the pinkette simply nodded her head and exited the Hokage Tower. She was proud of herself, that if Itachi was going to keep their friendship completely ambiguous and only viable for when he needed her, then she might as well distance herself from such a toxic relationship.

"Itachi's been gone for a while." Sasuke commented, Team seven having their weekly dinner, at Naruto's apartment this time.

The blond tended to cater even ramen at his own abode, but all members of such dinner would pummel him through the building if the same was said for tonight. Whatever was the theme for tonight was still in the making, stove burning bright as the blond lounged away on the couch. Kakashi had his attention in his book, as usual, it seemed.

"How nice."

"Dad tells me you refused his request." Naruto added.

"Yup."

Both boys exchanged eye-contact, trying to figure out what they were going to say next. Sakura was sitting on the floor, eyes trained on the television in the center of the wall as a commercial played. The pinkette did not have one of her own in her apartment since it would just be a waste, but seeing the interesting topics and videos flash by had her attention currently.

Naruto lightly rolled his hand in a silent indication toward Sasuke to _keep going._

 _"_ Something was off, before he left." Sasuke started. There was nothing that caught Sakura's attention more than someone potentially hurt or injured, Sasuke mused. This was proven correct when emerald eyes broke away from the TV and she quickly turned around to face the Uchiha, thoughtfulness displayed on her visage.

"Why?"

"I could tell something was up." Sasuke replied, "Like he was angsty and sadder than usual."

"He's usually sad?" Sakura lifted a brow, attempting to look casual (but Sasuke was far too observant for that).

"More like pressured." Sasuke explained, "Clan politics and the constant reminder that he's the village's best operative. It can mess with someone's mind."

Sakura folded her arms, but said nothing.

Neither boy found it in their immediate need to push the subject further, Naruto shrugging while Kakashi subtly returned his gaze back to his book. When Sakura set her mind on something, she was almost as stubborn as the very boys she often cursed on daily basis (even if she denied it). Sasuke only sighed, but decided that whatever hole Itachi dug, he was sure that he could make his way out on his own.

Not like Sasuke was looking forward to a possible chakra-infused punch through a wall if he kept pushing the subject anyway.

Even so, that did not stop Sakura from attempting to flatten him on his ass at Team Seven's _friendly_ spar a few days later.

This time occupying a true training ground, unlike their use of the private Uchiha one (or sometimes even the street if the blond riled him up enough), this was the designated grounds where they were allowed to roughen up the terrain. Which meant, for the female member of their aggressive team, absolute chaos as she let loose punches that shattered the environment around them.

Naruto bristled once more at Sakura's strength while Sasuke distantly wondered just _how_ much they missed while away from their pink-haired teammate.

There was no doubt in anyone's minds - Team Seven was a complete powerhouse.

And when multiple members walked away from this _spar_ with gashes and dislocated bones, they were viewed as only love taps in comparison to the true extent of their abilities.

"Remind me not to piss you off, Sakura-chan!" Naruto joked as he surveyed the area, Sakura healing his various injuries.

"And yet you still do." She muttered, causing the blond to sheepishly scratch behind his neck. "Our regular lunch?"

"Sorry, I can't." Naruto frowned as he stated. "Team 8 invited me to their lunch and I... said yes." He hesitated at the end.

Sakura blinked, then sat to an upright position. "Are you breaking up with us?" She asked in a mocking tone, one palm upturned toward Sasuke.

"I could never replace my team!" Naruto immediately countered, but uncharacteristically continued in a timid manner. "But Shino and Kiba kinda cornered me about joining them today..."

"The same team as Hinata?" Sakura inquired with a raised brow.

"Yeah! We're all going together."

Immediately, emerald eyes gleamed at the thought. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go take a shower and some _clean_ clothes and meet up!"

"Woah. Relax, Sakura-chan." He lifted his arms up in a defensive stance. "It's just lunch."

"Right." She dragged on, a small grin on her face as she motioned for him to get going.

"Trying to get rid of me, huh." Naruto pouted, "I get it. Enjoy your date and treat Sakura-chan nice, teme!"

Sakura motioned a fist in his direction as the blond walked off, laughter in his wake before he broke out into a sprint toward his home.

"At least it won't be ramen today." Sakura quipped toward the stoic Uchiha. "But we can't just eat tomatoes on a plate, either."

Sasuke looked her dead in the eyes, glare obvious as she teased his favorite ingredient.

"Fine. You pick, but we can't just have sweets either." Sasuke stated.

"Didn't Naruto just tell you to treat your date nice?" Sakura joked.

"A date and no kiss?" He teased back, making the pinkette sputter and immediately change the subject on her now smirking partner.

They settled on a place that served omusubi (as well as dessert for the pinkette to enjoy after).

"Happy?" Sakura asked as Sasuke digested another rice-ball whole.

He said nothing, but kept the elusive _asshole_ -ish vibe around him, as Sakura liked to describe it.

"Of course not." Sakura joked, "Can't lose touch with the angsty, mysterious air that has all the girls _swooning._ "

Sasuke rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to cross his arms when there was a delicious plate right in front of him.

"All but one, it seems." He stated.

"Oh?"

"You seem pretty immune."

Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes instead, "We both know you're hiding a level of sass underneath it all."

"Yeah, but you love it."

"Of course, Sasuke-kun." Sakura stated with a slight sarcastic-tilt.

"At least you admit it." Sasuke joked, his smirk obvious.

"You're my favorite Uchiha after all." Sakura continued, an elbow on the table keeping her head upright.

"Don't let Itachi hear that."

With guarded words, Sakura asked. "And why is that?"

"We both know about his weird excuse of emotions about you."

"Yeah, right."

"Can't ignore the truth about the odd friendship you two have."

"Or the fact that he hates his younger brother's treasured teammate since she cares about bonds more than duty?" Sakura waved off his words before motioning to the waiter that they would need to order another plate.

"What?" Sakura returned the questioning word back to him before Sasuke asked this time, "What happened?"

"We both know that Itachi got mad at me for caring about the team." Sakura recalled with an annoyed expression. "Okay, I ended up in the hospital. But if I hadn't prioritized Genma and Shisui first, then their injuries would have become fatal!"

"Sakura..."

"And then I took the initiative in trying to apologize to him, saying that he was my friend so of course I cared, but he pushed me away and basically iterated that he didn't trust me." Sakura explained, deliberately omitting the fact that Itachi had accused her of pushing her previous feelings for the Uchiha sitting across from her for the Older one instead.

"What do you mean? How did he say that to you?"

"I told him that I cared about him, as a person, beyond him as a captain or some clan heir. And he just looked at me unbelieving and said nothing. So I left."

Sasuke grimaced, looking at the pinkette with a bland expression.

"He's an ass." He stated.

"Thank you, someone agrees." Sakura joked, before taking a sip of her water.

"But we both know that he's socially constipated."

"You turned out fine." The moment the words left Sakura's lip, she chuckled and immediately took them back. "Okay, I get it. But I just..."

"Just what?"

"I hoped it would have been different with me."

"How so?"

"I mean! I'm not family, I get it. Not exactly part of the clan. But being his teammate for so long and even spending off-time with him, I would have thought we were at least friends."

"And how long did it take for me to open up to you?"

Sakura turned to the young Uchiha with a raised brow, "That's a mystery still in the making, sunshine."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and folded his arms, still waiting for the second plate of omusubi that had yet to appear.

"But I get it." Sakura stated in a more sober tone of voice. "I don't know... Maybe I'll talk to him when I cool down from it all."

"Or maybe a chakra-infused punch through a tree or something."

"Oof Sasuke, harsh words. Something up with your brotherly bond?"

Sasuke hesitated, looking to the side and muttering. "Nothing."

"And suddenly, I'm convinced." Sakura stated. "You know you can talk to me? Communication is a two-way street and I'm always up to listening, Sasuke-kun."

The young Uchiha sighed, "It's not about Itachi."

"Oh."

Turning to look at her dead-on, "I'm just wondering how much the dobe and I really missed while we were gone."

"I mean, I took the chūnin exams." Sakura answered incredulously.

"Not like that." Sasuke sighed, "Since when can you summon chakra scalpels that pierce entire bodies? How did you first start getting requested by ANBU? What happened that made you so close to my brother? How much do we not know about you?"

"Woah, slow down." Sakura sat-up, putting a gentle hand on the one Sasuke laid on the table. "You should've asked me these before, instead of bottling them up."

The Uchiha just looked to the side, wondering when that _damn_ plate of food was coming.

"Being the apprentice to Tsunade has it's benefits, you pick things up when you're in dangerous situations. And, to be honest, I don't know how it all started. There's few good medical-ninja and even fewer ones out in the field. And when they realized I work in the dynamic, they just requested me more."

"As for Itachi," Sakura paused, "I don't know. You guys weren't here. I didn't have a team for so long, it was easy to find other people to spend my time with."

"But Team Seven is complete now."

"Yeah, _now._ That doesn't change the past." Sakura countered, but continued to hold his lax hand on the table with her own. "But Team Kakashi will always be _my_ team."

"Good." Sasuke stated after a few moments, but struggled to find another sentence to pair it. "You'll always be my..."

Sakura's eyes gleamed in curiosity, _how in the hell could that sentence end._ "Yes?"

"Treasured person."

The pinkette fought the urge to laugh at his strained response, simply settling on smiling at the Uchiha's attempt to verbally comfort her. He was always an action person instead and, in doing so, overturned her hand so he was holding it in his own instead.

"And you'll always be in my heart as well, Sasuke-kun." Sakura returned.

"Good, then spend time with us." Sasuke, straight-forward as usual, stated in his serious tone.

"Sasuke." Sakura looked at him seriously then. "We have dinner together nearly every night. And we spar. And we're having lunch together."

"Not like that, _idiot."_ Sasuke gripped her hand a little tighter then. "What was it about communication? Two-way street?"

Sakura smiled, "Okay, I get it. Sasuke-kun wants to be my official confidant in all things personal."

"Just." Sasuke hesitated, "I know I come off a certain way."

"No really, I understand." Sakura stopped his struggling train of words, "I'll try to stop being so closed off."

Sasuke nodded while Sakura felt her smile slowly widen.

Team Seven was unlike any other team of it's time. They were strong together and still found themselves completely apart for _years._ It was not like either boy took strenuous effort to keep in contact with their female teammate while they were gone. Rather, Sakura was completely and fully alone. Without her assigned sensei or either partner, she had to find her own way to get stronger.

And even when they had returned, nothing was magically fixed.

But they were trying.

Maybe their most emotionally detached member was not as bad as they thought, Sakura mused as she continued to glance at Sasuke.

Her stare must have been too prolonged, for she sensed a teasing jest rising from Sasuke's lips.

If not for another interruption.

"Woah, don't mind me." Sakura heard a familiar voice to her left.

Shisui was standing to the side, just having entered the restaurant and spying his _baby cousin_ along with his (ex?) pink-haired teammate.

Sakura felt the immediate urge to pull her hands away from where they were sat with Sasuke's, the fear that the older Uchiha would relay this information to his _other cousin_ , but the younger Uchiha simply tightened his hold and turned to their intruder. "Something wrong?"

Shisui's eyes traveled between the pinkette and Sasuke - both young, strong, and single. And without a shadow of a doubt the closest female companion that Sasuke has in his life, sans his own mother.

"Didn't mean to interrupt." Shisiu half-joked, unsure the implications of their lunch _alone_ together.

Sakura opened her mouth to interject, but Sasuke beat her to the punch. "Then let this stand as a precedent." And lifted their joined hands more obviously into the older Uchiha's line of sight.

Shisui bristled as he smirked, "Message received. Be _safe_ , baby cousin." And thanked one of the staff as they handed him his take-out order, then briskly left the restaurant with a wave.

Sakura was more flabbergasted than before, mustering up her voice to ask. "What the hell was that?"

"Can't have him interrupting our time together." Sasuke teased as he lifted one of her hands to his lips.

Before it could make contact, Sakura pulled her hand out of his and used the closed distance to _smack_ him none-too-lightly on the side of his head.

"Seriously?"

"Hn."

Sakura fought the urge to smack her head to the table.

"Maybe they'll finally get the hint that you're _mine._ "

Sakura hesitated at his serious disposition, "Sasuke-kun, I will kill you."

He only sighed.

* * *

Sakura heaved air into her lungs, feeling the telltale signs of exhaustion and overexertion in lungs. But there was no question about her current situation, this was do or die and she planned on living to see another day.

Team Seven was quickly dispatched on another mission, to intercept and meet with a spy who had connections to Orochimaru. While their disguises kept their ninja status hidden as they subtly scanned the marketplace, there was no denying their sudden appearance and the surprise on the other civilian's faces at such rare features. (Naruto was the spitting image of the Hokage and Sakura had _pink-hair_ for Kami's sake).

That should have been her first warning, when she entered the shack that was selling medicinal supplies.

"Pink hair?" The grey-haired man noted, "How rare."

"It runs in the family." Sakura replied.

"I haven't seen it around here." He continued with a cautious expression.

"Excuse my manners. My name is Yui. And my group is traveling through, hoping to get some supplies first."

"Of course." He accepted, before leading her further into the shack. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Kabuto."

"The feeling is mutual. Would you be able to supply these herbs for me?" She ruffled through a makeshift list in her pack.

Kabuto quickly scanned it, "What a specific list."

"We have specific needs." She casually remarked, eyes taking in the environment around her.

Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, having ventured to holistic medicinal shacks in the past for both her mentors. It seemed like a completely harmless area, if not for the strange vibe she was getting off of the vendor.

She heard Kabuto pause in his movements, eyes focused out the window to where her teammate were walking.

"Are you traveling with that blond one as well?" Kabuto questioned.

"Why does it matter?" Sakura asked, straightening her spine and inwardly recalling the weapons concealed on her person.

"Just that you all seem to have rare hair, is all." Kabuto replied, a smirk on his face.

There was something just... _off._

Sakura was originally hoping to see if the vendor had seen any sign or connection to Orochimaru's spies, but was equally surprised to see that Kabuto was actually able to retrieve the ingredients she was looking for.

It just so happened that every component from the poison was on that list.

But Lady Chiyo had commented before that some of them were specifically found in the Land of Wind, which connected to the very creator of said poison. So why would an ingredient found only in the Demon Dessert, that was rare to procure even from a vendor in Konoha, be out here?

It seemed they were much closer to their spy than they seemed, Sakura inwardly mused.

"How convenient that you have Demon Valley Primrose out here, in the Land of Fire." Sakura commented.

"We've had a sudden demand for them in the area."

Kabuto did not hesitate in his words. And if not for Sakura's intense stare at the back of his head, she would not have gleaned from his tone of voice that he had even noticed the implication of her words. But _she was watching._

And there was no denying the pause in his hands and the narrowing of his gaze.

"Yui, it seems that you-"

Whatever he was going to say, was drowned out by the loud explosion no further than a block away from Sakura's location.

Turning away from the vendor, Sakura was about to rush out if not for the sudden kunai thrown in her direction.

"Can't have the apprentice to the Slug Princess joining the battle, now can we?" Kabuto asked, another kunai raised in her direction.

With wide eyes, surprised that the first vendor she visited was in some way connected to the much larger picture of Orochimaru, Sakura wondered if she should curse herself for having a spot-on intuition or praise herself for getting it right on the first try.

"Bring it on, four-eyes."

He narrowed his gaze at her crude nickname, before throwing multiple kunai in her direction.

With the strength she was known for, Sakura rushed forward with speed that came with having Uchiha Sasuke as a teammate, and let loose a chakra-infused punch.

Their current battlefield was what _was once_ the shack, but now a pile of rubble alongside the marketplace.

While Sakura could easily pierce the ground beneath her, it was the knowledge that they were fighting in a highly populated area that had the pinkette struggling to release her full abilities. These were nothing compared to the damage she could actually inflict, to which Kabuto took advantage of as he rushed her.

Fighting another ninja who was well-versed in medical ninjutsu was unlike any of her previous fights. Kabuto could call chakra-scalpels to the palms of his hands, easily inflicting deep slashes if she ventured too close while he was guarded. Most medic-nin's were well trained in evading - it was their job to help those in need, which required to keep themselves safe and away from the battlefield.

And having an upfront, aggressive style against someone who was just as well-trained as her in evading was exhausting.

She could feel her lungs screaming out to her.

There was a gash on her right-calf, but his entire left-arm was rendered useless. She knew better than to rush into the fight, having fought other Orochimaru henchmen and knowing that any weapon he wielded would be poisoned.

But it was not like she was alone in her fatigue, hearing the heavy-heaving from Kabuto's own bodice.

His plan of attack now was simple, the poison would only continue to affect the pinkette and Kabuto simply had to evade her until then. Even with antidotes, she had a limited time and would have to either retreat, to which he would surely follow, or continue fighting in hopes of taking him down before the poison fully ate at her system.

Sakura counted two more vials in her pack, allowing her at the very most nine minutes in total. But that was only if the poison was a complete match to the one she encountered with Shinga, which was highly doubtful.

The sudden desperation of the situation fueled Sakura's plan: attack.

Although under the affects of a life-ending poison, Sakura summoned several bunshin and rushed Kabuto in a last-ditch attempt. There was no doubt the man had a connection to Orochimaru, even going as far as being the ingredient-supplier to the snake-man. If the other explosion in the marketplace was any indicator, it meant that there was a much larger plan at stake here.

As in they knew that Team Seven was coming.

They were prepared for a fight to come to them, that much was true now. Kabuto and the medicinal shack was a trap, one placed specifically for her. To keep her occupied as another trap was placed within the marketplace elsewhere.

They were extremely under-prepared.

She had to simply trust in Kakashi and the rest, that they could handle themselves while she faced off with the medical ninja before her.

Sakura Haruno had to find a way to end Kabuto here and now.

Even though Kabuto had seen through the bunshin attack, Sakura knew she had one element on her side: surprise. Even Shinga had been taken off-guard when she had decidedly kept on charging at him, even after getting attacked straightforward.

And when Kabuto swiped a chakra-scalpel at her, she simply kept charging forward until her fist made contact with his body.

The affect was instantaneous, the ground rumbling beneath them and Kabuto's now decimated body laying prone on the mangled Earth. Sakura felt his weakening life-force, scalpel flickering until fully gone, even after it was lodged in her own stomach.

She wrenched his hand away and weakly summoned the familiar healing green to the tips of her fingers, attempting to get herself out of immediate danger.

Kabuto was dead.

What about her teammates?

Sakura heaved, there was hole in her and her mind was too far gone for her to make a plan. This was a premeditated attack - the explosion meant more enemies and that raised the question: Would Kabuto be the only medic-nin she would have to fight?

Where was the rest of her team? Were they all together? Did everyone get separated? Did they know she was attacked?

Haruno Sakura felt herself falling.


	3. Chapter 3

"She's not responding!"

"Sasuke, you have to let them do their job!"

"Move aside!"

Sakura felt those words, rather than heard them. She was unsure where she was, if she was even on the same plane of existence from everyone else. Her eyelids refused to open and she simply regarded the feeling as mutual, before allowing herself to slip to complete unconsciousness.

It was later when she heard some strange metal-grating sound, that she found the strength to even open her eyes.

In the corner, she saw a figure hunched over a small table. There was an apple in his hand and a bowl of a few others not too far away, a small plate to the side indicating that he was peeling them one at a time. A bob of blond stood at the window, staring out to Konoha as Sakura simply lay there observing.

"Sasuke? Naruto?" She meekly whispered out into the silent air.

"Sakura!" Immediately the blond bit his lip, looking over to the other side of her bed where another figure sat still.

Itachi shot the Hokage's son a stern look, one that surely told him to stay quiet in the presence of someone just recently awakened after being extremely harmed.

"Sakura, you're finally awake." Sasuke stated, as if his words were a source of comfort.

"What happened?" She asked groggily, attempting to sit-up in a more comfortable position. Sasuke was immediately at her side, putting a steady hand in the small of her back and shouldering most of the strength.

"We found you in a ditch next to a mutilated body, you idiot." Sasuke replied, the severity of the situation was finally dawning on the pinkette.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Naruto continued.

Sakura blinked, repeating their words in her mind since the last few hours were hazy. There was the medical shack and the remnants of her battle with Kabuto swirling unclearly in her mind. She remembered seeing the familiar chakra scalpels flicker to life between the fingers of her enemy, accompanied with quick swipes that would have meant a fatal injury. A life or death fight with someone with similar chakra-control - it was as if Kabuto was a complete foil to her character.

It was surreal - seeing parallel hands that she used to heal, but him for the sole purpose of death.

Training with both Tsunade and Shizune gave her plenty of experience with sparring against a fellow medic-nin. But they both had their certain quirks in battle. Tsunade, while a master at evading, tending to have an overall more aggressive style that rocked the earth - influencing Sakura the most in her own technique. The Legendary Sannin also had the extensive history of flashier clan jutsu.

But fighting someone who relied entirely on their ability of chakra-control, that meant Kabuto was well above adept to it. And as a companion to Orochimaru... Sakura did not want to ponder the possibilities of her failure.

Realizing that she had dragged out the silence, Sakura replied. "Sorry, Kabuto attacked me when the explosion happened. I had to fight him."

Sasuke hesitated, taking in a deep breath then turning toward the plate of apples he had prepared and offered it to the pinkette.

Itachi had yet to say anything to chime into the conversation, but Sakura felt his gaze lift to her visage at that statement. She turned to look at him then as well, surprised to see the concern on his countenance.

Was he worried... about her?

Even with direct eye-contact, Itachi had yet to actually address her and the pinkette was near close to jumping and throttling object of her stress for the past few weeks. Of all times, Itachi was being quiet around her now?

"You really had us worried there." Naruto interjected.

"They were ready for us." Sakura voiced with wide-eyes, looking at her two teammates.

"Yeah. Kakashi-sensei filed a report about our side - there were two explosions. One at a shack that the old man and teme entered. And another in the center of the marketplace, where I was walking." Naruto continued. "It was lucky that the trail we were following happened to coincide with Itachi's ANBU team."

Sakura nodded, taking in the day's she had missed. "The body..."

"We were able to retrieve it and Ba-chan is handling it now." Naruto answered. "Apparently he was a Konoha-nin, before defecting to follow Orochimaru."

"But they're going to need specifics on your run-in directly from you." Sasuke explained.

"Okay." Sakura nodded, that was understandable.

A medic-nin from Konoha, it made Sakura wonder what made him defect from the proud village. She thought back to his appearance - remembering the grey-haired medic and thinking he was only a few years older than her, at most. Would anyone remember him? How long was he in the village for? Did he die loyal to Orochimaru, or was it possible that he had his own personal agenda in attacking her?

Sakura inwardly asked these questions, trying to piece together the fragmented enemy she had just defeated.

"So... What happened?" Naruto gestured to the multiple gashes with a saddened expression.

"His name was Kabuto and he was a medical-ninja, which meant he was trained just like me. He specialized in precise chakra-control and evading."

Naruto bit his lip at this information while Sakura could see the sudden tenseness in Sasuke's jaw. In an effort to calm his nerves, he resumed peeling the rest of the apple, but his main focus was still on Sakura's retelling of her battle.

"He was able to get a hit on me and from there he just kept evading, hoping the poison would run its due course. And I knew if I kept waiting, it would. So I attacked head-on at that point."

"Which lead to that." Sasuke outwardly noted, glancing down to the injury on her stomach.

"He was able to puncture the chakra-scalpel straight through."

"But he wasn't expecting you to just accept it and keep punching him anyway, right?" Sasuke added.

"Right."

The pinkette watched a silent statement rang between her two male teammates. Naruto's shared grimace with Sasuke grunt in displeasure had Sakura fighting the urge to rub at her temple. This usually meant there was lecture about her actions next and her gut sense regarding this never failed her.

Sasuke sighed, "I don't like this battle strategy of yours."

Sighing, Sakura asked. "What do you mean?"

"First Shinga, now Kabuto." Naruto added.

"It's not like I had any other choice. Both Shinga and Kabuto would have killed us if they had our way." Sakura said, exasperated. "These are last-ditch efforts. And I'm alive now aren't I?"

"Sakura." Sasuke permeated the room, voice barely below a yell and impatience with her attitude much more obvious. _It was like she was treating this as if nothing happened,_ Sasuke inwardly mused. "This strategy requires you to run right at them, with no regard to if they're going to land an attack on you. It's your element of surprise, right?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, yes."

Sasuke huffed, "Well then what happens if you can't ignore it. If their attack was so much you can't just keep breaking through? And you get injured to a point where you can't continue?"

"Why should I care about the _if_ right now? What matters is that I bested him-"

"Sakura, do you honestly believe that this is all over with Kabuto? They were prepared to fight us and they'll be ready if you plan on doing that ever again."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry. But it was either that or, who knows what could've happened."

The younger Uchiha got up from his spot, uncharacteristically grabbing her hand in a gentle hold. Not that he would admit it out-loud, but it was as if the physical touch was enough to comfort him that she was safe. Naruto watched the uncharacteristic action out of his _asshole_ of a teammate, but decided to say nothing if it could potentially break their serious atmosphere.

Haruno Sakura was here, in Konoha, holding hands with her quiet teammate.

That was enough indicator, to a very much stressed Uchiha Sasuke, that the pinkette was going to be safe and sound tonight.

"I know." Sasuke paused, "But you need to cut that shit out going forward."

Sakura felt a smile break her visage, from his choice in wording. "Sasuke -"

"No, listen to me." He interrupted. "It's not because we feel the need to protect you. And it's definitely not because I think you can't handle yourself. It's because I care about you."

Sakura inwardly noted the sudden lack of _'we'_ in that sentence, slowly morphing to the singular use and referring to himself. There was no doubt from anyone in Team Seven now, Sasuke held a special place in his heart for the pinkette. But it was rare for that side of him to truly make an appearance, until now seemingly.

"Okay."

Sasuke continued to hold her hand, Naruto watching from the side as his two closest friends held a rare, genuine moment for one another. The blond felt no ill will in his chest - he loved Sakura and was glad that the Uchiha was finally opening up to it (even without having said the words out-loud, his actions spoke much more volumes).

Besides, Naruto would get his time with his female best-friend later.

As for the pinkette, she understood a little better the personalities of both her protective teammates to an extent. She landed herself in a hospital bed, for the second time within a month, it was understandable that this heightened feelings would lead to this moment. However, that did not excuse this ongoing problem. Filing this argument for another day, Sakura conceded to Sasuke's words.

But on the other hand...

Itachi had yet to say a single thing, simply listening to Sakura recall her dangerous experience. Like Sasuke, he was incensed at the idea that Sakura was much more willing to have injuries inflicted on her person than any other sort of tactic. There had to be something else that was missing, Itachi reasoned. Sakura was well-enough to be commissioned on both on solo and ANBU missions, there was no way that that was the only option.

But his younger brother had beat him to the punch.

(Which was probably a good thing, in hindsight. Sasuke had eloquated Itachi's line of thinking in a way that would have probably been better than the older Uchiha's way. Itachi would admit that his words, even when well-natured, tended to be misconstrued when it came to the pinkette. However, Itachi still wanted to personally convey to Sakura that he cared about her on a personal level and had been wrong in their last conversation).

Lady Tsunade was much less violent when she entered Sakura's hospital room this time around - but still loud nonetheless.

"We were able to flush most of the poison out of your system, but don't pull shit like this again on us." Her mentor started, chart in hand as she moved closer to the pinkette. The blonde turned to their joined hands, "You can make-out later, but you're still injured so no strenuous activity."

"It's not like that!" Sakura was yelling immediately and Sasuke had backed up all the way to the wall on the other-side.

Itachi's narrowed eyes were observed by only one, but Naruto chose to say nothing and simply watched the scene play out for once.

Tsunade turned to her teammates, "And you two. When was the last time either of you took showers?"

Naruto sheepishly smiled while Sasuke narrowed his eyes, somewhat insulted.

"Sakura's awake now, we're not leaving her alone, Ba-chan."

Instantly incensed, Tsunade took a deep breath and fought the urge to throw Sakura's _damn_ medical chart in the blond's direction. "She's not going anywhere, I can assure you. Now, get out of my hospital."

And with those few words, a warning really, Tsunade slammed the door behind her.

Naruto grumbled as he rose to leave. Sasuke made no movement, still holding Sakura's hand in his, eyes intense as he sat there with the pinkette. The blond knew better than to think the young Uchiha would leave Sakura's side, even at the command of Head Doctor of the entire hospital.

Sasuke shifted his gaze to his ever silent brother, before pushing out the chair from under him to stand.

"I'll be back." He assured the pinkette, who simply smiled at her teammate's care. Once at full height, Sasuke shot a _look_ toward Itachi, before joining Naruto in leaving the room.

Sakura sighed, shifting her spot in the hospital bed before turning to the only other occupant in her noiseless room. Their last conversation ended with her explosively walking away and there was no denying that the pinkette would have rather avoided his presence entirely if possible. But with her under lock-and-key by her mentor and overall soreness, it seemed there was no escape to this inevitable discussion.

However, as opposed to their usual conversations, Sakura decided on staying silent. If Itachi wanted to talk, than talk first he should.

Itachi moved his seat closer, after a beat of uncertainty on his part. The sound promulgated the silent night and unintentionally sent Sakura's nerves on fire.

"I must apologize." Itachi started.

"Okay." She inwardly cursed her rough vernacular.

"It was never my intention to make you believe we are not friends." Itachi continued, "And it is rather hypocritical of me to express my concern for you and then be suspicious of your care over my own person."

Sakura paused, when she realized his words had run to silence. "I'm glad you've come to your senses." She said with a mocking tone.

"Sakura."

Sighing deeply, "Okay. I have to admit, it hurt knowing that the past two years of our growing friendship did not mean the same to you as it did to me."

"That is untrue." Itachi immediately countered.

"Oh?"

"I do believe that our relationship has progressed beyond that of professional." He paused, "But in the past coming weeks, my emotions seemed to have clouded my judgement."

Sakura lifted a brow, "In what way?"

"The very thought of you being injured had me more troubled than you assume." Itachi explained, "And the idea that it was perpetuated by your appearance on my team, it moved me to take the action in avoiding the possibility entirely."

"It's not like I'll never get injured again."

"I know." He stated, hands reacting and raising as if he wanted to take her hands in a similar fashion to Sasuke earlier, but stopped himself before making physical contact. "But again, my mind was clouded from my obvious concern."

"But what about at the restaurant? You do know I actually care about you, not because you're my teammates brother?"

A hint of a grimace was crawling at his visage, "I am aware. Please know, that I do trust you."

"Trust me in a mission? Or trust me to actually know you?"

"Both." He did not hesitate with this, eyes trained fully on her emerald ones, as if he was trying to convey through the action the genuineness behind his words.

Sakura allowed a hint of a smile to break her countenance, "I care about you, Itachi."

"And I hold you in the same regard." Sakura had to stop herself from nagging at his formal tone, but it was obvious he was unsure with his wording.

"Then let me in, don't shut me out."

"Okay."

Smile more prominent now, Sakura took the initiative in taking his hand in hers. She made it halfway through the motion before she felt an ache in her side at the action, to which he immediately followed and held her hand on the edge of the hospital bed.

"We'll get through this." Sakura comforted, seeing the edges of stiffness relax in Itachi's facial expression. "I can't say everything's okay now, since what you said still hurt me. But I'm willing to try to work on our friendship."

He allowed a small smile to return her own, tightening his hold on her hand and rubbing a comforting circle along her soft skin. They continued on like this, in one another's presence, until a nurse entered the room and had to administer more medication to the pinkette.

There was no end to the protectiveness of her teammates and even captain now. While they had expressed to her their views on the matter, it did not change the fact that their care over her was highly hypocritical. They wanted to shelter her, keep her from danger when they themselves were out constantly on dangerous missions. And it was not as if she was throwing herself into it willingly and unguarded; Sakura trained her entire life in order to dedicate it to the village. This was understood, to some degree, of every Konoha-nin. And yet they found the need to goad her?

While Sakura would have preferred to not prolong this feeling, she was currently sitting in a hospital bed; Of course, they would be worried. Instead, she smiled and made peace for now.

 _Was this what it felt like to be the bigger person?_ Sakura inwardly joked.

Knowing that she would soon succumb to the drowsiness, Sakura smiled at Itachi one last time before motioning that he should get home before Mikoto worried. He shared her sentiment, a small tendril in his heart warming that the pinkette still expressed her care over him when _she_ was the one in the hospital bed.

Itachi held her hand until she finally slipped to unconsciousness. He pushed some of the loose hairs away from her face, before backing away toward the window and opening it. The Uchiha did not immediately leave. Rather, he took the seat there and stared out to the expanse of Konoha then back to the pinkette. Whatever amount of time was passing, it did not matter to the Uchiha heir.

"Hey." Sasuke greeted from his position in the window.

"Sakura was administered medication and is now asleep."

"Hn." He acknowledged, eyes trained on his teammate before turning to Itachi. "You should go home. I don't mind staying."

"I find no immediate need to."

Unlike with most people, Sasuke was capable of masking his emotions from rising onto his appearance. But with someone as perceptive as his older brother, the pride of the Uchiha, there was no point in trying to shield something seemingly obvious to Itachi.

Which is why Sasuke did not attempt to hide his narrowing eyes at his brother's words.

 _What the..._

"I'm staying with _my_ teammate. Why are you?"

"I care about Sakura's well-being."

"Itachi." His tone of voice already giving off a warning, "Don't mess with her."

"Does it look like I'm playing?"

* * *

Naruto was constantly about her hospital room and Sasuke near haunted it. Kakashi was sure to visit, but was more aware of the personal boundaries that her teammates just did not care about.

Ino visited seemingly twice a day, making sure to comment on her teammates when she did. And even more so about Sasuke, the usually mysterious member who was now consciously trying to keep Sakura close. She often had a perfectly-crafted eyebrow raised whenever she spotted Sasuke always _squatting_ in her hospital room. Tenten laughed at the insinuation while Hinata commended Sakura for her fierce victory over the other formidable medic-ninja.

"While I'm here and you can't escape," Ino started, while Sakura felt the tendrils of panic edge in her gut-feeling. "I heard a little rumor recently."

" _Oh no."_

"Oh _yes."_ Ino teased, "Not just one main House son, but both of them? Forehead, don't get greedy."

"Don't even, right now."

"So you're denying the fact that you and Sasuke were seen having an _intimate_ lunch together - even to the point of holding hands?"

"Where did you even hear about that?"

"Oh you know, word gets around quickly." Ino nonchalantly waved off.

"Sasuke and I have been working on our friendship, you know that. And with Itachi, we're just trying to get along."

"Thank god for their good looks." Ino teased yet again, "But that just leaves one more, you know."

Sakura dead-panned, trying to emphasize the nature of her relationship with the far-away red-head, " _Pinocchio_ can shove his puppet up his _ass_."

"Oh wow, sexual tension I see."

Ino burst into laughter and had to quickly dodge projectiles at the sight of Sakura using a chakra-infused throw of her pillows. Even though made of feathers, they left a dent in the wall where they were aimed, causing the blonde to bristle at the sudden mood change.

" _Damn,_ look at you all worked up." Ino kept provoking, enjoying the humorous sight of her disheveled and _very red_ best-friend.

The blonde wanted to comment more, but it seemed her best-friend had a very _particular_ reaction regarding the Suna-nin. Her response was immediately explosive, as if the words alone were enough to set Sakura off. For what reason, Ino had no idea. But she had an inkling that there was more to the situation than she knew. And, for Sakura, one of the brightest of their class and determined fighter in the hospital, she tended to be a complete _idiot_ when it came to the matter of love.

So for the pinkette to be this unclear about her feelings, Ino mused that Sakura was not handling the sudden influx of feelings well.

The Yamanaka settled on just a few aesthetic-level teasing words, since it was obvious that Sakura was truly unsure about how to handle the situation. It was better for her to sort it out herself, anyway.

But Sakura, left with nothing to do since outright denial did not work on Ino's teasing, simply crossed her arms with a pout.

It was a surprise Ino left the hospital unscathed.

Later, Kiba had brought a little plushie that resembled his close companion. Sakura treasured the cute toy, placing it beside her pillow before Sasuke moved it to the table. Lee had gifted her _another_ green tracksuit (onesie?), to which Naruto laughed and threw out the window the moment he left the room.

It was no secret that Sakura often joined ANBU on their more dangerous missions and no ninja was completely invincible, she had been injured before and found herself in the very spot she was in now. But having the fear of Kabuto, an enemy unlike any other she had faced before, it was an experience that almost cost her life.

But she was Tsunade's apprentice, there was no way she was backing down that easily.

Sakura was proud of how far she had grown, from the weak-willed Genin who's only goal was to impress someone who hardly cared for her at the time. She was the prized apprentice of one of the greatest medic-nin's on the planet and was finally making a name for herself. And yet... the closest males in her life made a point of stressing their possessiveness over her. Ninja's are not invincible, that is for sure. The inevitably of an injury was the risk every nin took and yet they made an obvious effort to stress their care over her.

While Naruto and Sasuke were both still Genin, it was obvious that their skill was regarded highly above their title. Team Kakashi would often find itself sanctioned to missions that demanded grueling efforts and bordered the line of exhaustion. They were the targets of many on a daily basis, and yet the threat of danger was _too much_ for their female teammate?

At least Itachi had seen the hypocrisy of his actions, but it hardly seemed like the last time it would happen.

The pinkette decided on fighting it another day, preferably when she was out of the critical eye of Tsunade and no longer strapped to the hospital room from her mentor (or when she was able to give them a chakra-fused piece of her mind without destroying her surroundings).

Thankfully, within the week, Sakura was fully recuperated and was thus required to present her formal report on Kabuto to the Hokage.

There was no doubt that Kabuto was connected to Orochimaru, having been a highly-skilled medic in a village that did not call for the need. His shinobi background was extremely evident during the battle. And even so, without regard to Kabuto's suspiciousness before the outbreak of their fight, he was able to procure the exact ingredients to the fatal poison made by Sasori, far away in Sunagakure. The poison had been used for a singular mission, then locked within the safety of their hospital for years until it made a sudden appearance now. It was no coincidence that Kabuto's small shack, one designated for civilians and placed far away from the Suna desert, could provide the entire ingredient list to the original poison.

His recognition of both Sakura and Naruto, simply by their hair and sunny dispositions, were both extremely telling as well. It meant Orochimaru, or at least his underlings, were well aware of the nine-tail jinchuriki and the one first capable of stabilizing their poison. As in, even with the disguises they procured, they were still on the lookout for their appearance. Hypothetical targets were now painted specifically on both her and Naruto's backs.

At very least, her enemy knew better than to underestimate Team Seven now, staging entire attacks that failed with the aid of Itachi's ANBU team. Sakura refrained from thinking what could have happened if not for their intervention. They were here now, in the safety of Konoha's walls, that was what mattered.

Minato had several notations and other questions lingering about the medic-nin, before thanking her.

"This was no easy task and other reconnaissance has informed us that Kabuto was a close contact to Orochimaru himself." Minato praised. "Konoha thanks you for your sacrifice."

"Of course."

"But on a personal note, you gave us a hearty scare there." Minato stated, "I'd expand more on the topic on the safety of the medic, but I'm sure you've heard plenty of it during your time in the hospital."

Sakura cracked a grin, nodding and saying nothing in reply.

"I would kindly ask that you avoid injury if not for my son running a rampage to the hospital." He joked.

"You know I can't guarantee that." She replied with a lighthearted smile. "I'm Tsunade's apprentice, she'll probably punt me to Suna just to teach me a lesson."

"How could anyone forget after the first time it happened?" Dan joked.

"Or the second time." The Hokage joked, a sheepish smile adorning him now.

"Not me, that's for sure." Sakura distantly remembered the occasion.

(It was the current high-score, if anyone was really keeping count. The only time Sakura even came close to Tsunade's display was when Naruto first returned to the village, acting as if everything was fine and dandy. Originally, it annoyed Sakura that the blond was ignoring the obvious tension of having been split as a team. And when he joked about some particularly stupid, something that the pinkette did not even remember to this day, he found himself soaring through the sky with only a small twinkle left to show where he was punted away without a further thought. But even then, was comparably less than to where Tsunade hurled her.)

The serious atmosphere returned when Minato stated, "There is one more issue that we need to address."

Sakura stood fully toward her Hokage, curiousness evident on her face as she waited for him to continue.

Minato glanced over to Dan, which was apparently enough indicator, since he swiftly left the room.

"There is no doubt that you have been an asset to both your own team as well as the most highly regarded ANBU team formed. This has by no means gone ignored, to which Konoha owes you for your efforts."

"Konoha is my home." Sakura reasoned, voice drowning to a small mutter when Dan returned with an object in hand and Kakashi trailing behind him, who's head was _thankfully_ not in his book. Instead, he sported a fond expression, from the small crinkle in the corner of his eye.

"Then you should be proud to know your recommendation in rank." Minato continued.

Sakura took in a sharp breath, "Excuse me?"

"In the presence of two Konoha shinobi, Haruno Sakura you have been recommended to the rank of Jōnin. Should you choose to accept the promotion, the village thanks you for your loyal dedication.

Minato held out a green flak jacket toward her, one that many Jōnin within the village sported as their usual attire. Sakura stepped up to grip it in her own hands, surprise still evident on her face. She turned toward Kakashi, who crinkled his expression to a slight smile, then toward the Hokage, who was still awaiting her response.

With a determined smile, "I accept."

They offered their own congratulations, to which Sakura was too ecstatic to believe until she was walking out of the Tower, flak jacket still in hand. Dan clapped a hand of praise on her shoulder, smiling at the newly minted Jōnin. Only two others of her class holding the same marks, Sakura's grip on the jacket tightened, as if unsure that this was reality. Minato smiled at her reaction, grateful for this young woman who corralled his son. Kakashi patted her on the head, signature crinkle in the mask showcasing his side-smirk.

There was no way Sakura could hold in this news.

It was already later into the afternoon, sun in the process of setting and the darkness of the night starting to sweep over Konoha's expanse. But she _just_ had to share this with someone, news coming out of the blue to her in all honestly.

There were no words to describe how elated and _proud_ Sakura was, to be the first member of Team Kakashi that was promoted to Jōnin. (She was also the first to be Genin, but that was since they were completely _mia_ from the village and such a feat was not the same as this). She was recognized by her sensei, who never verbally affirmed his favoritism for the boys over her, but it was fairly obvious. Kakashi held no reserve in offering help to Sasuke, whether it be guiding him through the steps of chidori or rigorous taijutsu.

And finally, it seemed Kakashi was acknowledging her efforts. It seemed like a silent olive-branch, accepting the fact that he had never directly helped her, but she still built herself into a formidable kunoichi.

Her parents' home was her first stop, who did not even attempt to veil their worry that their only daughter was promoted higher into the dangerous ranks of the ninja world, having been civilians their entire lives. Sakura spotted their nervous smiles and hidden words that they passed between each other. Nonetheless, they congratulated their darling girl and promised to have a more intricate dinner together the next night.

"We're proud of you, Sakura dear." Kizashi stated as he brought his only daughter into another hug.

"Please stay safe." Mebuki repeated for the _nth_ time that night.

"I'm still alive, right?" Sakura joked, but maybe it was not the right words since her mother dropped her tense smile entirely to a deep frown.

Sakura considered Naruto next, but the lights were out at the Namikaze household, signifying they were all asleep (which was impossible since it was in no way late enough) or out of the house.

Well... He did say that he wanted her to confide in him more.

And with a renewed vigor, Sakura found herself bounding toward the Uchiha compound.

Mikoto answered the door, a content smile on her face when she recognized the pinkette at her doorstep. "Sakura-chan, this is quite a surprise."

"Sorry! Don't mean to interrupt or impose on you. Is Sasuke home? I have some exciting news."

The matriarch's smile widened nearly imperceptibly, but being teammates to both her emotionally stunted sons made Sakura more keenly aware of the action. The pinkette decided not to saying anything on the nearly conspiratory expression.

"Of course, come inside. We were just finishing up dinner." Mikoto answered.

Sakura thanked the Uchiha matriarch before making her way to the dinning room, route familiar after visiting the home so many times before. The Uchiha compound welcomed Team Seven on multiple occasions, whether it be for an after spar meal or Mikoto forcing her grumbling younger son to _bring those cute teammates_ of his over. What Sakura was not expecting, was every member of the house actually _being home_ and sitting at the dinner table as if this was a normal occurrence.

"Hi." She greeted meekly, caught off-guard at holding all their attention.

The pinkette stood at the end of the table, parallel to Fugaku's spot at the head of the table, and found herself completely mute at the sight of the main house Uchiha's, along with Shisui, enjoying their family dinner. Sasuke often commented to her in the past that full family dinners were rare if not planned ahead of time. Him and Itachi were both summoned to missions and their father was the chief of the police force, they were all naturally busy. Sakura distinctly remembered that she had only seen Itachi join their team dinner once before while Fugaku had never.

So to have them all sitting around the dinner table was just so.. _weird_ to her, the sight of it all somehow rendering her silent.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, standing and nearing his teammate.

Suddenly aware of why she was here, Sakura lifted the flak jacket to her shoulder height for him to see.

"I just got out of my meeting with the Hokage." She explained.

"Jōnin?" Sasuke inquired with a thinly veiled look of surprise, Sakura was unsure if it was because of her sudden appearance or the _fact_ that she was the first of their team to be promoted. If it was the former that was expected, but if it was the later she was sure to kick his ass.

"Yeah, I was recommended and they offered it to me."

Sasuke placed his hand on top of hers, where she was still holding the jacket, and smiled. "Congratulations, Sakura."

"This calls for celebration." Mikoto added, calling over one of their house servants and instructing her about a cake or _something,_ from what Sakura could overhear.

"Thank you."

"Wow, congrats Sakura-chan!" Shisui said as he stood, walking over to the pinkette.

"Third of your class, no?" Fugaku's low voice permeated the room, causing Sakura to immediately stiffen while Sasuke turned to his father. It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Sakura took a breath and steeled her spine.

"Yes, behind Neji and Shikamaru." Sakura answered, to which the patriarch nodded.

Even though such a small action, Sakura took silent pride in the fact that she had gained slight acceptance from the usually stoic leader of the Uchiha clan. Fugaku either held in her blank regard or a completely neutral tone, but there was no mistake that this action was in complete response to her promotion. She had to fight the urge to smile wide like an idiot.

Fugaku rose, kissing his wife goodnight before retiring back to their shared room.

"Congratulations, Sakura." Itachi extended to the pinkette, smiling back at her.

"Thanks you so much." Sakura replied before turning to Sasuke, "Sorry if it seems I'm intruding, it's just that they just sprung it on me like it was nothing and I didn't want to withhold from sharing this moment with my teammate."

Sasuke smiled, saying nothing but enjoying the moment.

Mikoto looked between her youngest son and the newly minted Jōnin with eyes that could no longer be disputed, obviously glinting with a _certain_ eye. (Like the eye of an eager mother who wanted to be a grandmother). However the case, Shisui said nothing to the matriarch's behavior, only inwardly chuckling at the strange dynamic between Sakura and the two sons of Uchiha Main House.

"I'm glad you shared it with me." Sasuke stated, before correcting himself a second later. "Us."

Sakura smiled, before being ushered by the Uchiha matriarch to take a seat at the dinner table and enjoy the celebratory last-minute dessert.

"This is great, now we'll have a steady medic with us in ANBU." Shisui commented before taking a bite.

"I'll never leave Team Kakashi." Sakura replied, "But I'll definitely still join you guys if it doesn't bother Kakashi."

"You're crazy, Sakura-chan." Shisui joked, "But if you can excel at ANBU there's no doubt you deserve it."

"Or if you can flatten the whole damn village." Sasuke murmured, gaining a light slap on the back of his head via his teammate.

"You are aware of the implications of Jōnin status?" Itachi inquired.

"Yeah, better pay."

It was Sasuke's turn to lightly slap at Sakura's shoulder, to which Shisui laughed and Mikoto smiled on knowingly.

Years ago, Sakura would have never imagined herself seeking out the Uchiha Main House to celebrate her achievement. Well, in all honesty, she never expected for Team Kakashi to have reunited and become what it is now. Sasuke and her relationship always had an unspoken strain. As opposed to the Namikaze household, Kushina and Minato were personal friends to her own parents. Her and Naruto's mothers connecting on a level Sakura did not understand (but she conceded people probably said the same about her and Ino). And while that was alright for the humble Hokage and his wife, the proud Uchiha patriarch had never made acquaintance with her own - at least not to her memory.

They were cordial to her as their son's teammate and often plus one to their older son's ANBU team, even opening their doors to lunch and tea. But, there was still an emotional distance that Sakura felt uncomfortable with. Kushina was open-arms, often seen in Sakura's childhood home and inviting the pinkette to dinners while Naruto while out of the village.

And yet now, she found herself entirely comfortable with confiding in her stoic teammate and his family.

By the time Sakura left the Uchiha compound, she was tempted to just run straight to her apartment and into the fluffy confines of her bed. _But..._

She attempted to visit her other teammate one more time, but it seemed the house was still devoid of his presence, Kushina iterated to the pinkette. But with the red-head's lack of genuine surprise, Sakura had a feeling her husband had somehow told her the news before. Kushina offered her congrats to her son's teammate, pulling the figure she saw as her own extended daughter into a hug and invited Sakura to their own celebratory dinner sometime in the near future.

With a narrowed eye, she leapt over to where Naruto was known to infamously haunt, Ichiraku. While his presence was not exactly there, but a few blocks away, Sakura ran with a new vigor.

Sakura jumped down to the ground-level and realized with a smile that Naruto was inside the barbecue place that Team 8 was known to visit. Either this was entirely a coincidence or Naruto was having a continuation of the team lunch he had joined them on non-too long ago.

Entering and waving to the familiar waitress, Sakura walked until she caught sight of her blond teammate. He was joined by Team 8, of course, along with Shikamaru and Choji.

Hinata sat on his right, listening intently as Naruto continued on his animated talk toward the quiet kunoichi. The sight made the pinkette smile, maybe Naruto was _finally_ realizing the love that the Hyūga had for him.

Sakura contemplated greeting her charismatic teammate, before deciding that maybe she could wait until morning. If he was finally coming to his senses with Hinata, then she was not about to break that streak.

"Sakura-chan!"

She heard her name above the crowd, turning to see that Naruto's attention was targeted on her alone. _Damnit._ Being teammates for so many years definitely had them more attuned to one another, it was almost scary. Soon enough, he was standing and walking toward her, calling for a waiter to pull up a chair next to him. The various occupants of the table greeted her, Kiba even offering his seat, but Naruto quickly pushed him to the side and Sakura was soon placed at the head of the table, on Naruto's right.

"What are you doing here, Sakura-chan?"

"I tried finding you at home, but I have some news to share." Sakura started, taking on the various looks of interest. "I was promoted to Jōnin."

Naruto was immediately on his feet hugging his female teammate, offering a genuine congratulations that could have easily overpowered the sound in the entire restaurant. Shino and Shikamaru offered their own sentiments, in their _cool_ voices.

"They should give you a _fucking_ medal of honor for putting up with a team like yours." Kiba joked, motioning quickly with his chin in the direction of the blond.

Naruto pouted briefly before nudging the pinkette with his elbow, "Sakura-chan _loves_ me, right?"

She rolled her eyes, thinking back to how Sasuke teased before with the same sentiment. "Of course, Naruto-kun."

The blond immediately held his heart, exaggerating his surprise and affection at the confirmation and use of honorific.

"Besides, we all know Sasuke-kun was the annoying one." Sakura joked as she winked, making Naruto shout in agreement and Kiba to roll his eyes.

Sakura smiled and enjoyed the company of her fellow peers for the remaining hour. She was still dead exhausted for some reason, even without having engaged in a mission, her body was still adjusting for the lack of use and bed-rest to her usual lifestyle.

Naruto was engaged in another story when Sakura found her attention drifting to the occupants of the table. Naruto was growing to be a formidable shinobi and yet he was still _so stupid_ as to not notice Hinata's obvious crush on him. The silent woman was staring at him aptly, eyes never wavering until his blue-orbs looked over at her, causing the Hyūga to shyly look away.

Sakura turned to Kiba, "Has he noticed?"

She did not need to explain any further with words, Kiba looking from the animated Naruto and following Sakura's pointed gaze toward the shy woman. Kiba only laughed, "I'm afraid the world may come to an end first."

Sakura rolled her eyes before turning back to attention to her blond teammate.

It was always interesting to her, how the dynamic of Team Eight molded together. But seeing the amusing personality of Kiba, along with the quiet natures of Shino and Hinata, there was no doubt they were a close group of friends. Shikamaru had an undeniably good intellect and was one of the few people who had an interest in the various medical advances that the pinkette was likewise interested in as well. Choji was good company as well, urging Naruto on to eat more bowls of ramen in their small competition.

"Sorry if it seems early, but I'm going to turn in." Sakura said with a smile, pushing the chair out behind her to stand.

"I'll walk you home, Sakura-chan!"

"Of all people, I doubt she needs it now." Kiba commented, pointing to the flak jacket she now donned.

"That doesn't stop me from _wanting_ to, does it?" Naruto stuck his tongue out, leaving his portion of money on the table and trailed behind his female teammate.

Choji shrugged while Shikamaru muttered _troublesome,_ but it was expected of the blond. Kiba reassured his female teammate that this was how Naruto was all the time regarding Sakura, but it was a widely known fact that the two were just close friends.

 _Still,_ it had not calmed Hinata's raging heart. It pounded persistently in her chest when Naruto was sitting right next to her, articulating with his charismatic vernacular a funny story that had Kiba jesting in kind and even Shino cracking a smile. It was a rare moment, to have the blond right in front of her and sharing a funny night with his friends outside of Team Kakashi.

But there was no denying the lasting bound between each of him and his teammates. Naruto's relationship with Sakura and Sasuke was nothing like the ones he had with the rest of their graduating class. Yes, he was extremely outgoing and loved a good night out with his friends. But the blond held Team Seven with an iron-tight grip, keeping them in close circle for all time. He confided in them beyond a surface level, which was something Hinata had yet to achieve in her relationship with him.

And in all honesty, it was hard to hold a conversation with boisterous blond - either fainting from the rush of emotions or running away from his bright smile.

And seeing Naruto leave, obviously preferring to spend his time with Sakura over the rest of them, it was hard for the Hyūga heiress not feel a small pang of doubt. Their group of friends knew better than anyone of Naruto's crush on Sakura - their Genin days a clear reminder that he loved her. And the plethora of gossip surrounding the two would be enough to discourage anyone. They were often seen having intimate dinners alone together, sparring with one another, walking around the marketplace amicably when it was hard for even Kushina to get him to accompany her. Seeing them together almost all the time, and not a a hint of either getting sick of the other's prolonged presence, it issued an undeniable wave of rumors.

"Have you seen the Hokage's son and the Senju Sannin's apprentice together today?"

"They would make a beautiful couple - much like that of Hokage and his wife. Doesn't Sakura remind you of Kushina?"

"The two lovebirds were sprawled out at the training grounds - how precious, right?"

These bits of gossip often circulated about the village. There was hardly anything negative to say about Naruto (his bright and slightly naive personality really being his main weakness, but not something really negative), so the gossip surrounding him tended to revolve around his female teammate.

It was enough to make any of his potential suitors disappointed.

But not the Hyūga heiress, Hinata inwardly resolved. She would fight for Naruto until he very well told her to stop.

So when both Kiba and Shikamaru tried to alleviate the potential feelings of Naruto leaving to follow Sakura, the later being much more subtle, Hinata took it with a small smile and genuinely explained that she was fine. They simply looked at her in curiosity, before continuing on with dinner and resuming to their previous situation.

"You know you don't have to do this, Naruto." Sakura stated when her blond teammate caught up to her outside. "You should enjoy the rest of the night with them."

He opted to ignoring her comment, "Does my _favorite_ teammate not want me walking with her?"

Sakura scoffed, "Now that's a lie. We both know you and Sasuke have some weird relationship that toes the line of homoerotic."

Naruto stilled immediately and yelled aloud in protest, but Sakura just kept on walking with an amused expression.

He caught up to her quickly, but grumbled to the side. Sakura decided to head home in complete silence, until Naruto broke it saying, "Speaking of the teme..."

She turned to him, who had an eyebrow raised suggestively. "Yes?"

"You two seem pretty close these days."

"That tends to happen when you end up in the hospital with _overly_ protective teammates." Sakura dismissed.

"Not like that, Sakura-chan!"

"Like what then?"

"Like the teme wants to do more than just _sit_ next to your _bed_." He implied, with more waving of his eyebrows, implying much more with his physical expression.

Sakura grimaced, tightening her smile into a straight-line. "We're just trying to work on our relationship _as friends._ "

Naruto scoffed with a smile. "Shyeah, right."

"Think what you want." Sakura shrugged, "Besides, you seem offly cozy with Team Eight." She attempted to redirect the conversation.

"Yeah, they've been inviting me out more often with them. Not sure why, but they are good company." Naruto answered. Sakura nearly face-palmed, apparently the blond was observant enough to notice that they were inviting him more than usual. But the reasoning, it seemed Naruto was still far from realizing.

Sakura did not notice her sudden quietness in their conversation, mind focused on his words rather than the blond's slowing. Naruto paused in both word and movement, slowing his walk to a stop and Sakura did the same. "You were with him before, right?"

"Who?"

"With the teme."

"I went to Uchiha compound after I couldn't find you, so yes him - as well as Itachi and the rest of his family."

"But you went out of your way to share the news with him. _And_ the antisocial teme celebrated it with you."

"Well, it was Mikoto that broke out the cake..."

Naruto groaned, "I missed cake?!"

"Tomorrow, you can join me and my parents for celebratory dinner." Sakura invited him to the alternative, since she wanted to share the moment with her teammate despite the lateness of the news. Naruto accepted, but still grumbled that the Uchiha matriarch was near legendary with her cooking and baking.

They resumed walking toward her apartment, but it seemed the blond's mind was still on their previous words.

Naruto chuckled out of nowhere, "You're so oblivious, Sakura-chan."

Sakura withheld the urge to throttle him, as if _she_ was the oblivious one when Naruto was not just completely ignorant to the googly-eyes the Hyūga heiress was just shooting him.

"What does that mean?" She asked with a raised brow.

"It means the bastard _obviously_ wants you."

It was Sakura's turn to groan, rolling her eyes as she did so. "I think all the ramen has gone to your head again."

They halted at the foot of her stairway, apartment (and bed) just waiting for her at the top. She could not wait to finally collapse into the sweet embrace of her soft sheets, welcoming the sleep that was currently eluding her.

Naruto stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder in a serious manner. "Sakura-chan. If he hurts you in anyway way, I will kill him."

Sakura laughed, "Kill him anyway."

Naruto joined her in laughter, "No matter what, it seems you're gonna be an Uchiha."

The pinkette was tempted to flash him a crude signal with a single-finger, "Don't even, right now."

"He's such an antisocial _asshole._ "

"That could be either one of them." Sakura joked.

Naruto chuckled, "The only one capable of kicking my ass."

"Don't let him either hear that." Sakura commented, mind distantly thinking of her seemingly sadistic team captain.

"I mean if I really had a choice, I would make you all mine." Naruto teased, taking hold of her chin and angling it towards her's.

Sakura laughed again, pushing him away at his shoulder and turning away. "Goodnight, Naruto! See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan." He yelled back, before turning away with a small smile.

* * *

After weeks of actively looking for Orochimaru and his various connections, it was strange for Sakura to be stationed back in Konoha. It seemed her last few missions were highly dangerous in nature, concerning both the missing-nin and the poison, and to take a break within the safety of her village was a sudden change.

Tsunade nearly put her on complete lock-drown away from the hospital, stating that Sakura needed to time recuperate and if she undid her work from over-exhaustion, her mentor would surely make the consequence much worse. As much fight as she had, it was hard to fight the Head Medic of the hospital (who would very well sap her of chakra and shackle Sakura to a chair if she had to). Shizune joked that Sakura could help Minato with his paperwork, which the pinkette pondered for only a _single second._ And somehow it reached the Hokage himself within the first day (to which Sakura assumed Tsunade flexed her relationship with the next Hokage-In-Training, telling Dan who told the Hokage).

Which is how Sakura found herself sitting the Hokage tower the rest of the day, _and days to come,_ with stacks of paperwork calling her name.

As a newly minted Jōnin, Sakura was out for " _celebratory_ " reasons nearly every night. The first night, her parents called dibs for her first formal dinner in celebration for her promotion. (She omitted the fact that she visited the Uchiha household who silently stole that from them). While they had always been civilian, they still supported her the best they could and often had her teammates over for dinner during their early genin days.

There was _something_ about Sasuke they had not connected to, her father expressing his firm dislike on his character. Sakura had first defend his personality and attributed it to his strict upbringing, but these days she often agreed with them.

But her parents _loved_ Naruto and having him as an addition was nothing new.

There was no doubt that they loved his bright personality, seeing it as a good compliment to her own. When Sakura lived in the house as a teen, there was no doubt that they remembered Sakura's previous grumbling about her teammates. Adoration for Sasuke and her annoyance for the _sunshine_ child was what promulgate Sakura's childhood home. This quickly came to halt with Sasuke's denial of her confession and even worse when Team Seven parted ways. Sasuke's harsh words struck in their minds, the memories of her team quickly reverting from their original fondness.

But when Naruto came back to the village, wanting nothing more than to reunite the team that went their separate paths all those years ago, it made her parents' hearts sore. They saw him as a kind child - one who never hid his loving affection from their own daughter.

Naruto was definitely the favorite.

"You better scoop up the Hokage's son before he loses interest in you." Her mother admonished at the table, Sakura immediately slapping a hand to her forehead while her Father nodded in agreement. Naruto felt his smile widening further.

"I'll always love Sakura-chan!" The blond countered, misinterpreting her words.

"You have a single, handsome young man who loves you sitting right here. What are you waiting for, Sakura dear?" Mebuki continued, an eyebrow raised at her daughter's misfortune.

"Naruto and I are friends, that's it."

"Excuse me, but aren't you two best friends? The type that confide in one another at nearly every instance?" Mebuki pushed.

Sakura paused, wondering where her mother was going with this. "Yes, but-"

"But what?" Mebuki interrupted, "You are comfortable in on another's presence and trust each other with your lives. Is there no greater bond then that?"

Sakura then slammed her head on the table, causing her father to snicker at the situation and Naruto to smile and nod at Mebuki in agreement.

"Believe me, Naruto and I do not want to get married." Sakura reasoned.

"Speak for yourself." Naruto muttered, instantly granting himself a kick in the shin.

Her strong emerald eyes were enough to convey the evident warning that if he continued, it would surely mean bloodshed.

Other then that little blip their dinner went along _splendidly._

She spent the next night with some of her treasured mentors, watching them drink away their inhibitions on a _Wednesday_ night of all times. Her shishou defended that it was a special occasion and did not want to spoil the moment without a good drink (which quickly became several). Sakura indulged as well, taking in a drink or two, paid for of course by fellow Jōnin who joined them at the bar.

Genma made sure to pair the drink with a flirty wink and Shisui joked that this was just the first of many drinks they would share together.

The pinkette, along with Tsunade and Shizune, had time to be sentimental and serious about her promotion earlier in the night. Having gone to a restaurant with the two older woman for supper, Sakura loved the company of her medical mentors.

However, it was at the restaurant, that Sakura learned the truth behind her promotion.

The pinkette was under the assumption, from the Hokage's wording and her team leader's appearance at their formal offering, that Kakashi-sensei was the only who had recommended her to Jōnin status.

It seemed she was wrong.

"Congratulations, Sakura." Shizune commended once she joined them at the table.

"I was so surprised when I was called in." Sakura admitted.

"Why?" Tsunade snorted, "After all, you're _my_ apprentice."

There was no veiling the obvious pride in Tsunade's voice, making Sakura snort at her words and Shizune nearly roll her eyes.

"If those _damned_ captains of yours weren't going to, then I sure as _hell_ did."

Sakura took in her mentor's words, turning her head toward the blonde and asking, "What?"

"Did the Suna sand clog your ears? Who do you think recommended you?"

Sakura paused at Tsunade's words, her previous assumption of Kakashi recommending her suddenly shattering. He was present when she was promoted, but that was for the formality of the occasion. Could it really be? Tsunade noted her unusual quietness and Sakura immediately thanked her and nodded when she realized her rudeness. But at the reality that Kakashi not having done anything, even after everything that had happened, it made her heart squeeze in discomfort.

Sakura later learned that both Tsunade and Rin, having gleaned her skill from her quick thinking and skill against the deadly poison, both issued their own separate letters of recommendation to the Hokage.

A part of Sakura was saddened at this. That Kakashi, who was present for Sakura's victory against Shinga _and_ for her quick surgery on Kankurō _and_ when she made the makeshift antidote, had not been the one inclined for Sakura's promotion.

She decided against thinking about it too much, less it bring down her good mood in a relative time of peace.

Sakura spent the next night with her team, hosting them at her own apartment. It was her turn for team dinner anyway, it just so happened that Naruto kept insisting that they _finally_ celebrate her Jōnin status as a team.

The pinkette chuckled at her two teammates' never-ending bickering and turned to the side to see Kakashi's blank face as he continued to bury his head in his book.

Sakura was, admittedly, not as close to Kakashi as she wished. He was the wisest of their team, someone they trusted explicitly. And yet there was _something,_ that had always stopped her from truly deepening her relationship to her sensei. It was one thing that her teammates found the need to goad her with their protectiveness, but at least it came for a place of good intentions. They cared for her, that was for certain.

And yet _Kakashi..._ it was almost as if he silently deemed her below his regard. This may not be true, Sakura mentally conceded, since there were multiple occasions that he relied on her chakra-control on missions. But, he never made the actual effort in training her, preferring to spend that time with the Hokage's son or the second-in-line to becoming the Uchiha heir. That action silently conveyed the idea that Kakashi found it more worth his time to personally train her male teammates, rather than her.

This thought seemed to always plague the back of Sakura's mind, whenever praised for her role in Team Kakashi or on behalf of Konoha overall.

Even though she was left behind in the village when both Naruto and Sasuke decided to train, Sakura had to rely on others' outside of her team to help train. She was eternally grateful to Lady Tsunade who trained her out of the role she was born to play - as a weak nin born into a civilian family. The blonde served as more than just a simple teacher, Tsunade was a motherly figure who helped her break out of the frail willpower that dominated her Genin days.

With a small grimace, Sakura looked away from Kakashi and distracted herself with whatever Naruto was going on about now.

She failed to notice the way Kakashi's eyes trained themselves on her, in sync to when she looked away.

* * *

Sakura looked over the clipboard in her hands one last time before securing it back in place at the back of the door and walking out. Within the hour her shift should be done, having started long before the sun even broke the horizon. She was light on her feet, mind in a thousand different places when she entered her shared office with Shizune.

She had her final celebratory dinner the night before - or really a few hours before her shift ended. The Namikaze's invited the pinkette and her parents over to the Hokage's residence, sharing in a homemade feast in the name of Sakura's promotion. Kushina, thankfully, tried to alleviate some of Mebuki's fears as her only daughter entered into more dangerous missions.

"Of course, she'll have her teammates with her as well." Kushina started.

"Sakura-chan and I have each other backs!" Naruto added, to reassure Mebuki. Kizashi smiled at the young man's demeanor while Minato's smile slightly deflated. (He was Hokage for a reason and knew his wife better than anyone, there was no doubt that Kushina was going somewhere with that statement and his son only played into the trap).

"They trust each other with their lives." Kushina continued, innocent statement and yet standing as fact as both Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement. "Of course, that's expected with a couple so in love."

It was like an entirely new Shinobi War broke out in the living room.

Sakura immediately bristled in reaction and stood to passionately deny anything further than their friendship. Naruto blushed in full-force, embarrassment from his mother obvious, but said nothing in denial.

"Sakura's more than my teammate, she's family. I love her and -"

Kushina interrupted purposefully, "We know that, already. Just admit it's a matter of time."

Sakura wanted nothing more than to instantly combust in her seat, hopefully gone and away from this current conversation.

It took another hour of half-interrupted explanations and implications thrown around by both of their mother's before the conversation became manageable. Minato stayed to the side with a sheepish smile, knowing there was nothing he could really do in the warpath of his wife. It did not help that Naruto kept subverting questions rather than fully denying them, but Sakura digressed. At least there was alcohol present, since it alleviated Sakura's more logical mind.

Some things never changed.

Especially not the intravenous mothers of two single ninjas.

That was only a few hours before the start to Sakura's shift, which resulted in an immediate headache that somehow extended past the following morning. Any remnants of a hangover she was able to pacify with her chakra, but the stress from the combined powers of both their mother's was enough to leave an imprint on her mind. Even while on shift and priority falling to the growing danger of the poison, Sakura could not suppress the niggling feeling from the late night before.

"That kind of morning?" Shizune teased with an amused tilt in her voice.

"That kind of life." Sakura groaned as she sat at her desk, opening another journal and fishing a pencil that was placed safely at her ear. Their shared research on the poison seemed never-ending and with the many variations, it may seem like exactly that.

Shizune chuckled, eyes not breaking focus from the text in front of her, even when she continued, "I heard something interesting about you today."

Sakura raised a brow, "Already?"

"It's been circulating for a while."

"Try me."

"Seems like you and a _certain_ red-head have an ambiguous relationship."

The pinkette stopped in her writing, looking up and seeing Shizune's smirk directed at her. That was new, but at least she was not about to be pressured about certain members of a Konoha-based clan. It seemed gossip surrounding her was also concerning either Uchiha boys from the Main House, which was relatively understandable. A teammate to both, it was easy for people to misunderstand her relationship to either. Or even Naruto, their shared presence was often throughout the village and many seemed to misconstrue their close friendship.

But Sasori, **_oof_**.

She wondered if a certain _fan-wielding_ kunoichi had a hand in this development.

Sakura put a mocking hand to Shizune's forehead, "I think your Uncle's crazy is finally affecting you too."

Shizune lightly slapped the hand away. "Sasori had one of his _personal_ summons deliver a vial of his poison and hand-picked the best quality ingredients."

"Because Konoha requested it!" Sakura pointed out in an incredulous voice.

"But did you see the note?" Shizune continued.

Sakura blanched, _what if his grandma wrote it? Or worse, his mother?_ "What did it say?"

"That is such a guilty face." Shizune joked as she examined the pinkette's worried expression.

"Ugh."

Shizune held onto the silence, an expectant face as she teasingly looked at her office roommate. The poor pinkette was, more often than not, the subject of much gossip these days. The return of Team Kakashi was a double-edged sword, Shizune inwardly mused.

"Nothing too scandalous, something along the lines of: _a present for the brat._ " She explained.

"That seems like him." Sakura commented with a sigh.

"Since when did you know him well enough for that to be a thing?"

Sakura returned to her desk, simultaneously placing another sticky-note in the margin to highlight a particular phrase and saying, "I had dinner with his family while we were in Suna."

"Sakura! I would've thought you would have at least introduced me to your fiancé." Shizune teased, gaining a light slap on the shoulder as she did so.

"We're just friends."

"Friends with Akasuna no Sasori, who would've thought." Shizune muttered, more likely to herself than to Sakura. "Dan tells me that he's a complete ass."

Sakura grumbled back, continuing in her previous writing. "He's not wrong."

"Oh?"

"Believe me."

"I don't know." Shizune dragged out as she put a teasingly thoughtful expression on. "I can guarantee that at least a dozen different kunoichi would describe him as mysteriously sexy."

"They're probably the same fan-girls who would describe Sasuke as a gentleman and a knight in shining armor." Sakura countered.

Shizune sighed, but continued in her mischievous banter. "Well, in this obvious ship war, it's clear that I think you're best with -"

"Excuse me?" A nurse asked from the outside as she knocked on the office door, Sakura immediately yelling for her to come in and escape whatever teasing words Shizune was about to say. "There's someone in the lobby for Haruno-san."

"Great." Sakura murmured, finishing up her note and standing to join the nurse.

There was a small crowd of the junior nurses and administrative workers in the lobby, mostly females that were letting out small giggles here and there. It did not take much for Sakura to deduce the sudden influx of estrogen crowding the entrance area.

"Itachi, what brings you here?" Sakura greeted the Uchiha, a careful smile on her face as she approached.

"Simply visiting to inquire if you could join me for lunch today?" He asked with neutral face.

"Sure, my shift ends in a little bit. I can meet you at the restaurant."

"No need, I will wait for you here."

Sakura felt the instinctive urge to tighten her smile before looking back at the amassed admirers who had yet to leave the lobby. "Okay, you can wait in my office."

Shizune, thankfully, said nothing when Sakura reappeared with Itachi behind her. Rather, she lifted a suggestive brow and excused herself to their private lab with some words regarding research. Opening up her journal from earlier, Sakura made several notations and cross-referenced her findings with a similar text.

Having one of the original vials of the poison and some of the ingredients up close and personal were much more helpful. Demon Valley Primrose was home to the deeper parts of Suna's most dangerous desert, but thankfully Sasori had ( _apparently)_ compiled the best ingredients himself and had it shipped to Konoha.

Writing down one last thing, Sakura shut the notebook and secured it in one of the many cabinets in their office, before turning to the silent Uchiha sitting at the small couch.

"Lunch?" She smiled brightly as she asked.

They found themselves at a place other than their usual teppanyaki spot, but one with a modest bento and dango that Sakura silently knew that Itachi favored.

She sat across from him with a smile, supplying him with casual conversation over the last couple of days - from her dinner with her parents to seeing Shisui when various Jōnin gathered to celebrate her promotion.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed the past few days."

"Thank you, it's a welcoming start to a life of unending violence."

Itachi felt a smirk crawl at his expression, "How artistic."

Sakura shrugged, taking another bite into her food.

"But a feat you have definitely earned." Itachi commended, causing Sakura to pause mid-crunch and blush.

"Thank you." Sakura replied, "It means a lot, coming from one of the strongest ninja in the village."

Itachi nodded, before returning to his own food.

One thing Sakura greatly appreciated with Itachi was the comfortable silence that the both of them could easily slip into. She did not mind carrying the weight of conversation with the older Uchiha, knowing well-enough by now that if he was truly disinterested, he would voice that very sentiment. Unlike most, who would mentally drift away when she shared something of interest in her medical field, Itachi would actually listen and provide his own input on the subject as well.

The pinkette did not have to worry about filling silences, since they both found it comfortable with one another. Unlike Naruto, who festered off of conversation, or Sasuke, who used silence like a weapon. Itachi was always straight-forward, which meant his words usually held no alternative or other intentions. It was one of the many things she liked about the older Uchiha.

"It was brought to my attention that my Jōnin recommendation was from both Tsunade-shishou and Rin-san." Sakura voiced the thought that was plaguing her mind the past few days.

"Aptly done." Itachi commented. "As your mentors, they have observed your progress better than most."

Sakura hesitated, "Yeah."

Itachi followed suit, lowering his chopsticks and silently examining the obvious displeasure from the pinkette across from him. "But they are not your only mentors." He properly deduced.

Sakura frowned and turned to the side, "Kakashi-sensei was my first teacher."

"Who cares much about your well-being."

"Maybe if he actually trained me, he wouldn't have to worry so much. Or if he even trusted me to defend myself, rather than taking the _idiots'_ side." Sakura stated with thinly veiled anger. "Or maybe he thought I couldn't handle it."

"You are mad that Kakashi has continually favored your other teammates in training and, despite neglecting you, you have risen above his expectation and he still holds you in lower regard."

Sakura fought the urge to scoff at his bland, straight-froward explanation. Instead, she took a deep breath that obviously spelt her displeasure at his lack of decorum regarding the situation.

"I apologize." Itachi immediately stated, having seen that he struck a nerve with his specific observation. "Have you spoken to him about this?"

"How could I? Where would I start? This stems from problems back in our Genin days and it still hasn't faded."

Itachi paused and leveled a look with her, "It starts with communication."

Sakura sighed again, but knew he was right. From the small tells of amusement in his expression, there was no doubt in her mind that Itachi knew what she was mentally conceding.

"You better wipe that _damn smirk_ off your face." Sakura commented.

It only widended, "What do you mean, _Sakura?"_

Sakura nearly stabbed the piece of meat angrily stopping herself from engaging in a verbal battle that the older Uchiha would surely win. Not the time, Sakura thought as she munched on another piece of her lunch.

It was still nice to communicate her feels to Itachi, who was open ears and entirely willing to offer his own advice in her situation. He was the voice of relative reason, providing the logical side to the issue.

Besides, it seemed her two last brain cells were always on some _dumb shit._

So it was nice to have Itachi, with his incredible mind, offer input on what was ailing her. Unlike Naruto and even Sasuke, who were both too nosy and overprotective when it came to her. Or Ino, who made it her personal mission to get the pinkette finally _laid._ Itachi was the relative middle-ground and for that she was grateful.

The older Uchiha was called away by another nin in full ANBU gear and before Sakura could even blink, he paid for their entire lunch and disappeared in a swirl of crows ( _inside_ a restaurant! To which Sakura bowed in apology toward the manager).

She had another hour before she was meeting her team at their usual training field, but decided that just _maybe_ she could take another look at the flower Sasori dropped off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I PROMISE SASORI WILL BE BACK IN THE STORY SOON ;-;

but i needed to settle the Konoha drama before I set-up for her time in Suna ;)

WHOSE READY FOR FLUFF AND DRAMA ? :D

I have hella finals this weeks so sorry for late updates!

* * *

With the looming dangerous of _Orochimaru_ and _poisons_ hanging over Sakura's head, her unending conviction often led her to the poisons department more often than not. Rin commented that it was good display of work-ethic on behalf of the pinkette's determination while Tsunade called the pinkette a _shut-in_ during the prime of her youth (Sakura rolled her eyes and retorted that her mentor was starting to sound like Gai-sensei. Within seconds she was avoiding a chakra-laced punch).

Between studying the poison, rounds at the hospital, and the upcoming training program - Sakura's time was constantly consumed by her various responsibilities when she was present in Konoha. It was rare for the pinkette to stay in the village for a prolonged amount of time, assigned to missions with both her regular team and Itachi's ANBU one.

While some would have deemed her schedule as completely over-loaded, Sakura took it in a prideful stride. Along with her mentors, she stood as a pillar to the hospital and extremely valuable to Konoha overall. She was proud of her achievements, even if it meant sacrificing other luxuries - such as free time. Disease and fatal missions waited for no one and a social life was a small sacrifice when compared to potential lives at stake.

Which is why, even when she could be leisurely lazing with Naruto or spending her afternoon within the comfort of her bed, Sakura followed a routine leading her back to the hospital and to the poisons department.

And when a certain Yamanaka learned that her best-friend's free-time was spent in her very workplace, the blonde set-out to get her out.

If only Sakura didn't fight back.

It took both blackmail and the power of four _very_ resolute kunoichi to get the pinkette to finally use her long-forgotten vacation time for a single day off.

Which is exactly how Sakura found herself sitting in a lunch-booth, a few days later, with some of her closest friends.

"Come on, you have to admit that this is better than hospital food." Ino reasoned with the pinkette, who rolled her eyes and repeated her order to the awaiting waitress.

"Not gonna lie, but I miss some of this back home in Suna." Temari added, ordering a Konoha-based dish of her own.

"Don't worry." Ino started, "I'm sure you'll get plenty more when you and Shika finally settle down."

Tenten held in her chuckle as the blonde winked at their fan-wielding friend.

"Ha ha." Temari sarcastically bit-out, words dripping with an obvious venom. "Of course, I'm not the only one who's been the source of rumors lately."

Sakura lifted an incredulous brow when both blondes at the table turned to her.

"Oh yeah, rumor has it that red and pink have been the emblematic colors of _love_ back in Suna." Temari emphasized the word in a sing-song voice, causing Hinata to smile at the teasing gesture and Tenten to roll her eyes with a small smirk.

"I'm pretty sure Sasori hates me." Sakura commented.

"She didn't say anything about your puppeteer-boyfriend." Ino badgered.

"I don't know." Temari started, "When you defeated Shinga and neutralized Sasori's very own hand-crafted poison, I'm sure you lifted more than just his _puppet if you know what I mean._ "

Sakura felt the rosy blush dust at her cheeks while Ino immediately burst into laughter. It was rare to have another instigator at the table (at least one who was as audacious as the Yamanaka herself, it brought a refreshing feel to it all). Tenten could not help her own loud chuckles at the thought and Hinata felt her grin widen to a full smile. The Hyūga heiress did put a light hand on the pinkette's shoulder in apology, but there was no denying the amused mortification on Sakura's face.

Temari smiled, "You know we're just joking. But you can't help but wonder when you see the most elusive bachelor in the entire Land of Wind having dinner with a beautiful _foreigner_ and his family."

"I had no idea you guys were close." Tenten added.

"We honestly aren't." Sakura said with an amused tone of voice, understanding of their curiosity.

"How'd you end up having dinner with them then?" Tenten asked.

"Our team had some free-time in Suna and he offered to spar with me. When Lady Chiyo caught up to us, she invited me to join their dinner. It's not a big deal, seriously." Sakura added, trying to alleviate their mischievous expressions.

"Right." Ino responded.

"Really?" Temari questioned with an inquisitive countenance, "Sasori's almost notorious for how close he is to his family. The fact that you were invited by Lady Chiyo of all people, that's a feat in itself. It means they approve of you."

Sakura felt her eyebrows raise, maybe even beyond her forehead. "No way, that's like a hundred steps away from where we stand."

"I don't know about that, Rasa seemed pretty enamored with your abilities as a medic." Temari said with a skeptical eye, "I wouldn't be surprised if you found yourself in Suna sometime soon."

Sakura casually waved off the possibility. At a time like this, where an S-classed Jinchūriki hunter with a preference for poisons and a strange desire for the Uchiha clan was somewhere loose, Konoha would need her more than ever.

Two waitresses laid out the food before them. And offering a quick thanks and digging into their respective meals, the small band of kunoichi were enjoying their well-earned lunch.

"Your children would have such amazing chakra-control." Tenten commented after a beat of silence.

Ino cracked a smile while Temari winked.

"Oh yeah?" Sakura turned to her brunette friend, the weapons-master immediately reeling back in worry at what the pinkette could say. "You're not off the hook either. There's only so many _friendly spars_ you can have with a teammate before it's considered suspicious."

Tenten raised her hands in defense, when both Ino and Hinata (surprisingly) turned to her with amused expressions. "We _are_ just friends."

"Friends who make-out, yeah." It was Hinata who joked, causing Sakura to chuckle in surprise and Ino to proudly pat their Hyūga friend on the back.

"Fine. What about the Hyūga heiress herself?" Tenten redirected the conversation.

Hinata straightened her posture more than before, as if the act itself was challenging the weapons-user with a proud expression.

"Right, how's the Naruto front going?" When Hinata turned to Temari with a surprised expression, the blonde only waved her off. "I have eyes, don't I?"

"You guys have been inviting him over to your team dinners." Sakura answered, "It's a good start, I think. Naruto's finally seeing you as an individual - maybe he'll finally realize how much of an _idiot_ he's been."

Hinata could not stop the blush at Sakura's statement, but she still looked toward her longtime friend to gauge the honesty of her words. Sakura, more often than not, verbally affirmed her approval and want to help Hinata in her journey toward love. But with Naruto constantly turning tail to follow the pinkette and Sakura accepting it with a smile, it was hard for the Hyūga heiress to fully accept it as the truth. There was no doubt that the two were close - the gossip came from somewhere and it was definitely because they were constantly together.

She had never voiced these concerns to the pinkette personally or anyone really. It was strange that their friend group had a silent understanding that their two single friends were not involved with one another - if the amount of times Sakura had punted him across the village was enough indicator. But the thing about anxieties and Hinata's personal self-consciousness, was that it did not exactly listen to reason.

There was no denying the slight edge of jealousy that the Hyūga had for Sakura's relationship with Naruto, but it was never something she would say to either party.

She would allow her love to do the talking, even if it took years of patience for the blond to finally notice her.

Sakura turned toward Hinata, who had to affirm her statement and was sitting in thoughtful silence and staring directly at the pinkette. She may as well have had byakugan activated, her peering eyes examining the curious pinkette.

"Right?" Sakura pushed, gaining the Hyūga's attention finally.

"Yes, it's a good step in the right direction."

Ino blinked, "How long has it been?"

"Years." Tenten replied.

"Too many years." Sakura added.

"We need to do something about that." Temari said, rousing a call to action on their friend's love life. "We have to."

"Well, there is the annual clan gala coming up." Ino started, sounding more and more conspiratory with every word.

Sakura listened intently to the blonde's plan until she felt a familiar presence a few feet away from her. Being placed on Itachi's team had her used to the common practices they would use on a mission, which did extend to their daily personalities unsurprisingly. So when she felt the familiar chakra flare in a certain pattern behind her, the pinkette automatically turned around to face the Uchiha.

"Shisui, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, _ladies._ " He waved at the group with a dashing smile, one that made Sakura roll her eyes and Ino quirk a brow. "Don't shoot the messenger, but you're in need at the hospital."

"Okay." Sakura quickly responded, slurping up the rest of her food and leaving money on the table within a few rapid beats.

"On her day off?" Ino annoyed at how much planning they put into Sakura's limited time with them, only for her to be taken away.

"Duty calls." Sakura reasoned with a sad smile, "How about I meet up with you guys later tonight?"

"Hurry up already." Ino stated as she hugged her best-friend farewell.

* * *

There were some more pressing questions about the poison that Rin had while she was doing her share of research, but the older kunoichi was willing to push it off to the next day. However, when it reacted _increasingly_ viral in the presence of a specific Konoha-based herb, it suddenly warranted more of her personal time than anything else.

With Rin on complete lock-down on the mutated version of Sasori's poison and Tsunade accompanying Dan today, that left a core of the rounds to Shizune to handle. And when an entire ANBU team came rushing into emergency, it required Sakura's immediate presence.

It seemed that Konoha was not seeing the last of Sasori's strain of poison. While it was not the exact same as the one that affected Kankurō, it still generally had the same fatal symptoms as the one that plagued the young puppeteer. Working in full-force, Sakura rushed to the aid of the ANBU team that was attacked close to the boundaries of Kusagakure next door. The area sitting not far from them and Sunagakure, it was clear that the enemy had not ventured far from their original rescue mission for Gaara.

The pinkette injected them with her original antidote, hoping it would, at the very least, prolong their limited amount of time to save their fellow nin. Shizune and her were immediately ushered into an empty OR while Rin worked toward a complete restore in the lab.

Rasa's words came hurtling back to Sakura when the three medic's proudly stood amongst three healed ANBU.

In Suna, it took hours for Sakura to heal Kankurō out of critical condition. In their hospital, the pinkette recounted the strained situation with her constantly guiding the other nurses with what ingredients and tools she required for the surgery. And even so, it seemed that they were in constant awe at the process. But with Shizune and Rin present, veteran medic-nin's who could handle entire departments of Konoha's hospital on their own abilities, it made the process substantially easier to handle.

Even Konoha's hospital overall was modernized more so with an annual medical program that personally groomed members of the staff. The Hokage's trust in the current Head of Hospital, Lady Tsunade, was enough to keep it well-funded and continually vetted under the legendary Sannin. The strength of the hospital as a whole was what made dire situations like this much easier to handle than if it were to occur in Suna.

Rasa and other Suna nin made a point of thanking Sakura personally and even extending that to compliment her on her individual skill. But, Sakura tried to divert their attention to that of the power of Konoha's entire hospital - which was rightly so. Yes, Sakura was an extremely well-trained medic. But there was nothing like having a complete team. Kankurō's situation was dire enough that it required the attention of the pinkette immediately and even after she had to make the antidote herself, since none of the other one employed at _their_ hospital could. But, before the end of the day, the senior medic-nin's were capable of bringing the entire ANBU team out of critical condition _and_ creating an effective enough antidote.

Konoha's hospital, Sakura admitted from her first-hand experience, was far better equipped.

She wondered if Temari's words would soon come true, if she would truly find herself in Suna soon to help improve their hospital.

Orochimaru goal to capture the one-tailed beast had failed, but that did not mean his resolve would waver. He was still on the loose, clearly acting on his want to apprehend the powerful being. Sakura wondered if Sunagakure was also suffering from similar attacks and how they were handling it thusly.

Her attention snapped back to the present when a machine to her left beeped loudly.

Shizune checked the ANBU's vitals as Rin administered more of her solution, having been double-checked by Sakura and deemed good to get them out of critical condition.

 _That_ was not the part they disliked. Rin and Shizune immediately proposed staying as surveillance to the newly healed team since they were on shift, pushing Sakura to present to the Hokage their report of the affair. Sighing deeply as Shizune flashed her a smile over her retreating back, Sakura roof-hopped to their village leader and explained their findings on the poison.

The pinkette was thankfully able to meet with the others further into the night, much later at a clubwhere other Konoha shinobi their age often frequented.

She found them in a booth in the back, or at least the few who preferred the comfortability of the reclusive corner. Letting loose for at least one night _in weeks,_ Sakura socialized with her close friends and danced to songs she fancied.

There was nothing like the love she felt from her friends.

Even if they could not spend as much time as they liked with one another, they still had a cherished friendship that withstood both time and distance. And having a night away, from the constant drama of her potential love life and the anxieties of lingering enemies, Sakura treasured her rare time off from it all to be with her friends.

The next night was the traditional Team Seven dinner, this time hosted by Kakashi in his humble apartment.

Sakura attempted to not linger her gaze on her mentor, but there was thing lingering feeling in the back of her mind that wanted to confront her him. The pinkette refused to allow resentment creep into her relationship with her longtime sensei, but it was difficult with the constant mental reminder that this was the same man who never fully appreciated her.

Shaking her head away from the negative thoughts, Sakura tuned back into the conversation to hear both her male teammates bickering yet again.

 _You can take the man out of ANBU, but can't take the ANBU out of the man._

Kakashi reiterated jokingly to a colleague in the past, but it held true especially now. As best as she may try to hide it, the long-time sensei quickly caught onto the behavior of his only female student. There was something bothering her, obviously.

The silver-haired Jōnin glanced at Sakura with a questioning gaze, gone as soon as it appeared. There was obviously something on her mind, but he would allow her to come to him with her concern, not wanting to push her out of her comfort zone if she did not want to in the first place.

Sakura was by no-means someone who had to be walked home, but the young Uchiha still felt the need to do so later. Naruto rolled his eyes, but the pinkette made sure to call him out for attempting to do the same thing no too long ago.

Even throughout their usual dinner, Sasuke was unusually quiet. Sure, Sakura was well attuned to the typically silent personality of her Uchiha teammate, but there was something particularly strange about his behavior tonight.

"Something wrong?" Sakura started, turning to look at him as they walked along in the moonlit light.

He said nothing in response, his grim expression tensing.

This was usually a sign that something _was wrong,_ but that Sasuke was having difficulty in expressing the entirety of the situation. Taking in a deep breathe and mentally iterating the need to be patient, Sakura stayed quiet as she waited for her friend to gather his thoughts.

"You had lunch with Itachi, not too long ago."

Sakura raised a brow, unsure if that was a question or he needed her to affirm the statement. After a beat of silence, she responded. "Yeah, I was on shift when he asked me then and there."

"Hn."

Sakura took that as a sign to keep going, "He wanted to apologize to me, about our argument." She paused, "I think we're trying to actually be friends now."

Sasuke paused in his movements, his pink-haired teammate doing the same and standing before him in waiting. He looked up at the night sky, before back down and looking directly into her eyes.

"So you agreed to a date?"

There was no denying the sudden itch in her fist to punch her quiet teammate in the face, the leading question leaving no more for uncertainty.

Instead, Sakura took a deep breath. "It was just lunch, believe me."

"Then why didn't you ask anyone else to join?" He countered, immediately.

"Because he asked me personally, I wasn't about to invite anyone else into plans he made!" Sakura exclaimed incredulously, "Sasuke-kun, you can't be serious."

She watched his eyes slightly widen at the added use of the long-forgotten honorific, but Sasuke blinked it away just as quickly.

Instead, the young Uchiha had a tense posture, as if at any moment he was expecting a fight.

"There's no way you're this oblivious to why he's asking you." It seemed as if Sasuke's statement demanded _something_ with his stern expression, voice raising in both aggression and volume.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura was reacting in kind, getting equally worked up at her teammate's sudden anger. "Why are you getting so mad?"

Sasuke took one hardened look at her, narrowing to slits in his intense glare, before exhaling deeply and simply walking away.

"Sasuke, don't just walk away." Sakura interjected, rushing to grab his elbow and stop his movement. But the Uchiha simply brushed her off and continued walking.

He muttered in a low tone, just enough for it to echo back to pinkette. "I'm done here."

Confused and wondering why the Uchiha, who insisted on walking her home, had suddenly abandoned her, Sakura felt the tendrils of disappointment and uncertainty rise in her heart.

They were trying _so so_ hard to be a team, to re-strengthen their bonds after so long, but his reaction was equally reminiscent to their original treatment of one another. Sasuke would never confide in her or even try to spend time together before - now he was a friend she was growing to love and cherish.

They had to get through this.

But maybe not tonight.

With a huff, Sakura returned to her home and attempted to rid her mind of the young Uchiha.

* * *

This was the third time this week and Sasuke was turning tail at the sight of her. She waved at him from her spot in the marketplace, but was disheartened when the young Uchiha simply looked in a different direction and away from her.

The hospital was never like this. Yes, there was a fair share of gossip and their own cycle of drama between the older and younger doctors - but it was still a safehaven for the young pinkette. It was the medium where she was rarely bested at, in terms of both healing and antidotes. There was usually an obvious goal - neutralize the poison, fix the wound, save their lives.

But the woes of her social life and seemingly unending drama it would pose, Sakura wondered just how bleak her future looked.

She iterated the entire conversation to Ino over lunch a few days after, the blonde's eyes widening in surprise and thoughtfulness as each word of their altercation was conveyed.

"Please, don't brush me off because I am being one-hundred percent serious here." Ino started with a peculiarly humorless tone of voice, "But just _maybe_ our boy Sasuke is jealous."

"What? Don't-"

"I know what you're thinking. But come on, Forehead. He's offended, assuming it was a date and then questioning his brother's intentions with you."

Sakura sat in silence, taking in the blonde's words seriously and re-playing the events of her argument with Sasuke.

But it just didn't seem... right.

After everything they had been through, Team Seven's separation and her own failed confession to him as kids, it was hard enough to get them to just be friends - never mind the fact that they were on the road to being _close_ friends. Sakura was content with their growing closeness, seemingly impossible after the _shit storm_ they called their Genin years. But the possibility of Sasuke feeling that way? Toward her?

 _Impossible._

Or at least that was what Sakura believe.

"I'll wait for him to open back up to me." Sakura voiced, "There has to be something else I'm missing here."

Rather than teasing the pinkette, as per usual, Ino nodded and agreed. It was good for her to gain more perspective, even if she was _hella_ slow at it (but the blonde never said the last part out-loud)

"There is some good news, at least." Ino started, "The annual clan gala is coming up."

"That's your good news?" Sakura joked, remembering how she accompanied her blond teammate a few times in the past.

The Namikaze family was always good company, from Kushina's brisk personality to Naruto's bright one, Sakura loved dinners with them. There was also always good food and sitting at the Hokage's table was probably the reason for this. But that was only one part of night.

There was endless _shmozzing,_ many different clan members taking this time to boast of their bravado and prominence (looking at you, Uchiha's and Hyūga's, Sakura inwardly commented).

Naruto's company was really what got her through the dreadful night and, what were best friends for, if not for supporting each other in their time of need. And sitting quiet and demonstrating propriety was definitely not Naruto's strong suit - the blond would probably argue that it was his least favorite form of torture, if anything. Despite the air of contentiousness, Sakura appreciated the night with her blond friend (for multiple years). By the third gala, they made up nicknames and private jokes for other attendees.

Their other teammate, who was likewise a Main House member of a prominent clan, had to spend the night more seriously. Even though he tried to be on his best behavior, Sakura spotted Sasuke's subtle glances of annoyance peek through his neutral visage and could not help but feel bad for their short-tempered teammate.

But otherwise, it was usually a nice, formal occasion as opposed to her routine night of staying in or at the hospital.

"It finally gave us a solid opportunity for at least one of our friends." Ino countered, dragging the pinkette out of her train of thought.

"What?"

Ino paused with excitement, "Naruto agreed to accompany Hinata as her date, to the annual clan gala."

"Really?" The pinkette stood up eagerly, moved with sudden enthusiasm.

"Well, not exactly." Ino sighed, "They _are_ going together, but it's not exactly on romantic terms."

"It may change by the end of the night." Sakura added, optimistically. "How did it happen?"

"We wrote a note on her behalf."

" _Oh god."_ Sakura fought the urge to laugh out-loud.

"It worked didn't it!" Ino defended with a smile.

"Who would've guessed?" Sakura laughed, the thought of note-passing one from her Academy days and _of course_ it ended up working with Naruto.

"Come with me in case we need to do damage control?" Ino offered.

Sakura said _maybe_ with a teasing smile, before moving to pay the check. The blonde beat her to it, card already out and _not-too-gently_ ushering the pinkette to put that _damned_ money away.

"I got next time." Sakura said with a straight-face.

"Then you'll have to beat me to it." Ino countered with a smirk, before pushing out of her seat.

With arrangements to have lunch again next week, both kunoichi shared a brief hug before waving goodbye to return to their daily routines. Ino was tasked with assisting her father more within the clan and in the intelligence division while Sakura looked forward to returning to the hospital.

It was strange, Sakura mused.

Most shinobi in the village preferred to avoid her favorite place, since it usually spelled out injuries or the horrific annual check-up. But to Sakura, it was her place of solace - a safe space where she could devote herself to fully.

Her feet guided her to the poisons department, waving to both Rin and Shizune as she passed them in the hall. Sasori's package definitely helped in their observation of the poison's ingredients. It was one thing to try to replicate, but when made by the very person who created and perfected it - it definitely helped.

A part of Sakura mused that this situation was similar to that of her mentor and Lady Chiyo's rivalry - one who excelled at making fatal poisons while the other fought back with their own brand of antidotes. At least now, Konoha and Suna were not at war, rather coming to a peace treaty before they tore themselves apart for who knows how much longer.

Sakura replayed the image of the red-head's _smug ass face_ and how utterly surprised he was at seeing it neutralized by the small pinkette.

Observing the poisons' reaction under a different medium, Sakura took down a plethora of notes before moving onto the next experimental change.

Rin re-entered the lab at one point, highlighting a particular pattern she gleaned from different variations of the poison. Adding the note to her own notebook, Sakura studied the various origin locations of the various components. Both kunoichi hunched over their respective notes, with the centrifuge humming in the background, they studied in a comfortable silence with little words between them.

By the time a nurse knocked on the door to the lab, Sakura was surrounded by various open textbooks and her personal notebook with a pencils firmly secured in her pony-tail.

"How is my favorite kunoichi?" Naruto loudly bellowed when he was let into the room.

The pinkette turned around with an exasperated expression, "Don't let Kushina hear that."

Naruto blanched with a stiff smile, before he neared her desk and stood over her seated bodice.

"What are you even doing here, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"It's my honored duty to ensure my best-friend is well fed."

"I had lunch with Ino this afternoon." Sakura waved off, but Naruto took the hand in his.

"And what time is it now?" He said matter-o-factly.

Sakura sighed, there were no windows to the outside world from this lab, and both glanced at the clock on the wall. It was broken, stuck at two in the morning after the batteries ran out a few nights before. She made a mental note to fix it, but it usually did not pose a problem since she was always on her feet, guiding her into other rooms and gauging the time from there.

But it seemed her work had gotten the better of her, the time actually reading to be past sunset and deep into the night.

"Alright, you got me there." She conceded, knowing that her blond friend would not take 'no' for an answer.

Naruto allowed her to tidy her belongings, returning books to their proper places and marking a few last notes, before he grabbed her elbow and led her out of the hospital.

"What is this really for?" Sakura quirked a brow.

"You wound me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto feigned offense, "I can't have dinner with my best-friend?"

Sakura shrugged and countered, "Sasuke must be pissed at you, huh?"

"We don't have to do everything together!" Naruto immediately yelled, outraged.

Sakura smirked and rolled her eyes. They did not even have to speak aloud - both of their feet already guiding them to their (more so _his)_ favorite ramen place.

"Naruto..."

"Okay, the stick up his _ass_ was particularly lodged in there today. But, I swear, I didn't do anything to incite it this time!" Naruto argued.

"Just give him time, maybe it's clan stuff." Sakura responded, shrugging as she attempted to look extremely casual to their teammates' behavior.

"Yeah, probably." Naruto agreed, taking a seat at Ichiraku's bar with the pinkette on his right. The waitress recognized them immediately, already working at readying their meals. "The clan gala is coming up and the teme is probably brooding about it."

"I may be the only person who looks forward to going."

"Oh? But you're not from a clan." Naruto had a teasing smile on, "And as much as I love you, Sakura-chan, we can't get married this year. We're too young and we should date first-"

"Not like that, you idiot." Sakura interrupted, "We both know you're going as Hinata's date."

Naruto sputtered, a sheepish smile adorning his face as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Sakura raised a teasing brow at his lack of words and suddenly uncharacteristic shyness.

Ayame placed bowls in front of each of them, both quickly saying thanks and Naruto digging in _quicker_ than usual - as if trying to avoid the previous statement.

"I don't think it's like that, Sakura-chan." Naruto stated, when he finally paused in his eating.

"Why not?"

"I don't think she even likes me like that."

Sakura fought the _largest_ urge to slam her blond's friend onto the counter for his obliviousness. Son to one of the greatest shinobi and growing to be an incredible one on his own _and yet, so damn blind._

Mustering her best neutral expression, "Why do you say that?"

"She's just really quiet with me." Naruto explained with a thoughtful expression, "Like it's nice to hang-out, but we're not close. It's not like she opens up to me and our conversations are really brief."

"Hm."

"And before this, I thought she was avoiding me, really."

Sakura fought the urge to chuckle, _if only he knew._

"Hinata's pretty shy, we both know that by now. Why not try _a little_ harder and you may see a whole new side to her." Sakura offered.

"Sure." Naruto shrugged in agreement before continuing to dig into his meal. Being out-going and charismatic was never a difficult task for the blond, Sakura only hoped it was a good push in the right direction.

"I wish you could come too." Naruto added.

"Same, I'm gonna miss you. Honestly, this clan gala kind of felt like our thing." Sakura admitted with a wistful smile.

Not that she held any resent toward the Hyūga, but this was an inevitability that was finally coming to fruition. Sakura wanted nothing more than for her closest friend to finally find happiness in the kunoichi that loved him for years on end. But Naruto was still one of her best friends, they had inside jokes and a relationship that was comfortable. She knew the day would come when he found happiness with his significant other, but that did not stop the reminiscent pang in her chest to the days where she could spend it with Naruto alone.

Naruto paused, "Maybe I could cancel-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Uzumaki." Sakura threatened with one of her chopsticks raised. "You're going to have fun on your date and we'll still have other things we can do together."

Naruto nodded with a tense smile, agreeing to her words but obviously not fully. "Maybe Sasuke can bring you this year."

"I doubt it." Sakura countered, "He hasn't exactly been peachy-keen with me either recently."

Naruto lowered his bowl, "What did he do?"

"Relax." Sakura placated him with a smile, "It was weird, if anything."

Naruto raised a brow, urging her to continue.

"He insisted on walking me home after dinner at Kakashi's. And then he starts grilling me about Itachi, for some reason. And then he stormed away anyway!"

Naruto chuckled lightly, making the pinkette punch him lightly in the shoulder.

"Wow, Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a teasing smile, "And you call _me_ dense."

"What does that mean?"

"It's probably best if you talk it out with him." Naruto offered, before motioning for another bowl towards the waitress.

Sakura looked at him skeptically, _what the hell_ was he thinking to have been pacified so quickly. Was there something she was missing? Being Sasuke's best-friend and fine tuned to the stoic man often had Naruto understanding him better than Kakashi and herself combined. But even so... what.

Naruto relayed some of his experiences from the last few days, Sakura laughing along at the blond's endless stories and seemingly chain of fortune and pure luck. Kiba saw the two of them and stopped by briefly, saying hello to the two and taking a meal home for himself.

Seeing the pair of the Hokage's son and the slug princess' prized apprentice was not an unfamiliar sight to the citizens of Konoha, especially not at Ichiraku. Whether coming from a sparring session or enjoying a meal together, Naruto held onto his cherished friendship with the pinkette despite time and distance.

Sakura was silently forever grateful for this - Naruto was the glue that kept their team together, there was no doubt about it now.

Naruto was on his fifth bowl, Sakura on her second, when she felt a niggling feeling at the back of her neck. Turning around, she spotted her impassive captain along with his older cousin.

They seemed to be deliberating something, before Shisui let out an exasperated sigh at whatever Itachi said and then turning and glancing at her in the corner of his eye. But the pinkette had been watching then, catching the motion and Shisui knowing he had been caught - having to either pretend it was a small action or turn to Sakura entirely.

He chose the later.

"Sakura-chan! Naruto-kun." Shisui greeted, breaking away from Itachi to near the two younger nin. "Seems like I'm always catching you on your dates."

Naruto bristled, brightly nodding in agreement before stopping and asking _what other date?_

Sakura offhandedly mentioned lunch with Sasuke, before turning to Shisui. "Care to join us?"

"Thanks, but we're out for just a few things." Shisui thanked, before turning to his younger cousin fully.

Itachi nodded in greeting toward Sakura before moving to stand next to Shisui. Naruto watched the strange exchange, as if the two Uchiha were inwardly arguing, before looking at Sakura in question.

The older Uchiha was so used to his _baby_ cousin's behavior. As a child, Shisui knew better than anyone who truly _arrogant_ the child Itachi was. Hidden behind well-kept manners and his ambiguous smirk, others could not see it, but Shisui knew better. This translated to her personality later in life in much smaller way - through his firm determination and straight-forward vernacular that bordered sass.

And yet now, the very heir and culmination of Uchiha pride, was dead quiet.

Shisui sighed loudly, before turning to Naruto with a bland expression.

Itachi stepped up closer to Sakura, asking. "If not already accompanied, I'd be grateful if you joined me in attending the clan gala."

Fighting the urge to stammer aloud in surprise, Sakura smiled at her unusually tense captain and nodded, "I'd love to join you."

Itachi had a small smirk, silently acknowledging her affirmation with a small incline of his head, before waving goodbye.

"He's hopeless." Shisui muttered, to which Naruto laughed then turned back to his ramen bowl.

Sakura watched this entire exchange, what _both males_ found so damn exasperating and amusing - she had no idea. Itachi had no issues inviting her out to lunch or speaking on cordial terms outside of missions. So why were they being so weird earlier?

Shacking her head of the impossible, the pinkette turned back to her own bowl before taking bites into her meal.

"Uchiha Sakura, it has a nice ring to it." Naruto teased over his bowl, eyebrows waving at the implication.

"We're just going as friends." Sakura countered, "That was not a love confession."

" _Right._ "

"I mean, you're going with your _just_ friend, right?" Sakura argued.

Naruto chuckled, shrugging at his friend's denial before changing the subject.

* * *

Sakura was trying to hard to convince herself it was not a big deal. And with how Itachi was acting, it seemed she was not the only one thinking the same thing.

She was called, along with his ANBU Team, for another mission regarding gaining more reconnaissance on Orochimaru. Other than the fact that Itachi seemed to keep a closer eye on her - as if more conscious of her presence from the _last time_ she accompanied the team - it was entirely normal. Itachi did not mention the upcoming event and Shisui had even kept quiet.

At least, marginally.

After subduing the target, who was seen as a potential spy between the Konoha missing-nin, Sakura placed the unconscious body in the corner of her shared room with Itachi. Usually, the pinkette would be placed with Genma, but said nothing about the change. Shisui winked at her when she entered the room, but it was quickly forgotten when Sakura moved to ensure that their charge would stay completely unconscious.

Otherwise, their mission went on without a hitch, returning to Konoha in one piece and not drenched in blood like they otherwise have before.

After giving their respective reports, Itachi garnered her attention with a small hand on her shoulder. "Let's have dinner tomorrow."

Sakura, unsure if that was a command or question, fought the urge to fight his words and simply nodded before heading home.

At their usual place, the pinkette carried the conversation lightheartedly. It seemed so _entirely_ casual that Sakura wondered if her friends were the ones looking too far into things. This was the usual Itachi, it was probably her that was acting weird and why her captain found the need to look at her in such a way.

But when Itachi handed something to her, she felt her breath almost leave her entirely.

"This is so beautiful." Sakura commented as she held unfolded the exquisite kimono in her hands, "I have no words."

"You should wear it to the gala."

"Of course, thank you." She smiled, grabbing one of his loose hands and squeezing it to express her appreciation.

She was unsure if she was trying to convince herself, or if it was truly the reality of the situation, but Sakura repeated in her mind, almost like a mantra, that her relationship with Itachi was nothing more than platonic. Keeping in mind the straight-forward, no-nonsense attitude that he held, Sakura reasoned to herself that if there was a romantic implication to his actions, then he would have made it explicitly known.

And yet she found herself hesitating, as if the time he had asked her to gala was so _un_ -Itachi. Sighing and wondering what the hell she was doing, Sakura resolved that was simply thinking too hard about this and tried to pass it as casual.

But when Sakura was fully adorned with his gift, the silky fabric felt like a smooth cloud simply sitting on her skin.

With her mother's help, Sakura stood in her childhood bedroom decorated with one of the most gorgeous kimono she had ever seen. Her clothes were often bright colors or a palette that matched her hair. But this kimono was a deep shade of royal blue, with splashings of white, black, and red linings and floral designs.

The pinkette heard her mother's breath hitch when she turned a full 360 degrees. Confused at the reaction, Sakura walked up to the wall mirror and slowly spun to see what could have garnered that.

Displayed proudly, in the very center of her back, was the infamous symbol of the Uchiha clan - the red and white uchiwa fan prominent.

Stunned into silence, Sakura looked at the symbol before glancing up at herself. It was strange, to see a complete image of _herself_ adorned with the Uchiha clan. Maybe a decade ago, she would have killed for the day that she would be formally wearing one of these, hoping that Sasuke would be the one to give it to her.

And yet here she was, unsure how she really felt about the symbol she was wearing.

"How beautiful." Mebuki commented.

"This feels so weird." Sakura admitted.

"You've worn plenty of beautiful kimonos before when accompanying Naruto." Mebuki added, "But maybe it's this _unique_ gifter that has you so star-struck."

Sakura could not deny the statement, taking another long look at her appearance. Her hair was done-up, braided and in a bun at the back of her head, with some loose strands in the front. With some make-up and a dark-red gloss, Sakura could hardly accept the fact that the mirror image was truly herself.

Someone known to accompany the best ANBU team Konoha had to offer and apprentice to a Legendary Sannin - no wonder people hardly believed the rumors. Her appearance only exaggerated her more feminine traits, it just made it so hard to believe that _clothes_ could make someone look so good.

While Itachi would have preferred meeting Sakura at her apartment, for this particular event, his father and clan leader favored entering the event together as _family_ of the Main House. So the pinkette opted to meeting them at the venue instead.

Itachi was waiting on the outside for her, greeting her with a small smirk before offering his elbow to the pinkette.

"You look beautiful." He whispered in her ear, causing Sakura to immediately blush.

"Thank you." Sakura responded, "You look rather handsome yourself."

He accepted it in kind and guided her over to their table, an area obviously littered with other Uchiha's, from the sea of onyx colored hair. She recognized a few clan-members in passing from the hospital and when visiting Sasuke for their usual dinner, but none that she really knew on a personal level.

Mikoto welcomed her with open arms while Fugaku nodded at her in passing.

With Naruto, Sakura felt completely at ease with Kushina and the Hokage. While one of the most powerful couples, they were down-to-earth and loved the pinkette like their own daughter. Kushina had no qualms in joking around with her, smiling along and even teasing her own son from time to time.

But Fugaku, who she had never had a full conversation with, and Mikoto, who's motherly affection seemed to always have a secondary agenda (in Sakura's eyes at least - the matriarch often having a _certain glint_ whenever she spotted the pinkette), it was a direct change in crowd to who Sakura was used to accompanying to these events.

It was just so _normal_ to be with Naruto for these clan- _things -_ no longer having the blond at her side was strange.

The Namikaze's were sitting by the front of the venue, Naruto seeing her immediately and waving at his teammate. Hinata was standing at his left, to the pinkette's inward glee. Sakura suppressed the urge to go over there, simply waving back.

She surveyed the room quickly and, to her surprise, most were either looking right back at her or pretending to turn away as if not just caught. The older ones were shameless in their staring, openly peering at the only member of the Haruno family present, looking her up and down with veiled expressions.

There was no denying the burning eyes of a certain _Yamanaka_ when Sakura met her gaze.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, the pinkette turned back to her partner for the night and smiled.

Itachi inclined his head toward her, as if silently asking if everything was alright.

"It's nothing. There's just a lot of people staring." Sakura commented, "But you're probably used to it, clan heir and all."

Itachi peered over the top of her head, confirming her statement before turning back down to the strong female. "Do not worry about them."

Sakura smiled, letting the butterflies soar in her stomach as she attempt to pacify it beneath her expression.

Shisui greeted her by lifting her free hand and kissing it, "You look beyond gorgeous. I must admit, I am jealous."

"Thank you." She expressed, "But jealous? I don't know if this kimono will look as good on you."

Shisui grinned at her teasing, "Believe me. I can think of a better place for it. But it won't exactly be on your body."

"Shisui!" Sakura exclaimed with amusement, the playful admonishment lost on the older Uchiha's ears.

Rather, it was Itachi's especially blank stare (which borderlined a glare if not for the occasion) that quieted Shisui. The trio stood in a comfortable silence, a drink somehow making it's way into the eldest member's hand and Itachi being summoned away by his father to meet someone.

"I'm not used to this much attention at the these events." Sakura confessed. "It's never this bad when I'm with Naruto."

"That's because you guys are attached at the hip." Shisui explained, "But Itachi, I don't think he's ever had anyone accompany him to one of these things."

"Besides, you just don't notice how much attention the male shinobi body truly gives you."

"Shisui, please." Sakura laughed as she pushed at his shoulder.

"What? Is there a law that I can't be close with my teammate?" Shisui asked, "Although there is the fact that you are my baby cousin's date."

"Ha ha." Sakura sarcastically bit-out.

"If only I could make you all mine."

"Careful, Shisui. Or people may think you're flirting with me."

"And if I am?"

Sakura stopped, glancing up at the tall Uchiha and exemplar of the Uchiha pride with a smirk of her own. "I don't think you can handle me."

"An Uchiha like me?" Shisui muttered in a low voice.

"Damn elitest." Sakura retorted as she rolled her eyes.

Shisui chuckled at that, placing an amused hand on her shoulder and commenting, "Don't let anyone hear that."

Sakura unconsciously bit her lip, trying hard not to look at the crowd around her.

"Don't worry too much, people are probably just curious about you." Shisui comforted, grabbing a drink from a passing tray and offering it to the pinkette.

His words held true throughout the night, various people never truly approaching her and simply talking about themselves of their strange guest. You would think by now, when Sakura was often seen walking through the Uchiha compound, that they would be used to her presence.

"Tsunade's apprentice?" One of the Uchiha elders asked.

"Yes." Sakura answered with a strained smile.

He simply nodded and smirked, before walking away.

"Sorry for leaving you unaccompanied." Itachi stated as he returned, standing close to her this time.

"It's alright, nothing's burned down yet." Sakura attempted a joke to alleviate the situation.

By no means was the pinkette seen as an _un_ -feminine figure. She had beautiful features and curves that emphasized a very unique and exotic appearance. But it was a still a rare sight to see her dressed in such formal attire when she was constantly seen as a boulder-smashing ninja or someone accustomed to being elbow-deep in someone's chest in the OR.

But to Itachi, who offered Sakura his elbow and delighted in the rosy blush that adorned her cheeks after, he delighted in both sides to the dedicated kunoichi.

It showed that she was more than her reputation – she was the Sannin's apprentice, yes. But she was a pink-haired force to be reckoned with. She breathed life into a village that saw constant bloodshed and wreaked havoc to those deserving of her mean right-hook.

The affection of his expression, where he stared fondly at the flushed pinkette, must have seeped into his outward appearance for her cheeks reddened in response.

"Look what we have here." A familiar voice greeted, snapping the two out of their reverie.

Sakura looked up to her mentor, Rin smiling at her with Obito at her side. "Glad to see you too."

Shaking her expression of her surprise, Sakura took her friend into a hug and shook Obito's friendly hand. More often than not, it was easy for the pinkette to forget that it she was formally _Uchiha_ Rin - falling in the rare category of generally outgoing amongst those in her clan, right along with Shisui.

Rin had a conspiratory smile as she silently examined Sakura's kimono.

When it was announced that the ceremony would soon start, Sakura fought the urge to break her polite countenance and sigh. This was the more boring part of the night. Usually, Naruto would joke around right alongside her, mocking words or attitudes of the more pretentious speakers.

Sakura only joked that that would have to be _him_ one day.

But at the serious atmosphere of the Uchiha Main House table, Sakura wondered how she was going to get through the hour.

"I'm glad for you to have joined us, Sakura-chan." Mikoto greeted again.

"It's my pleasure, just to have the invitation."

"Nonsense." Mikoto interjected, "A strong, beautiful kunoichi like yourself. You would've had no problem finding a date."

Sakura awkwardly chuckled, the word ' _date'_ surprising her. Was she the only one who did not think this was date? Or did Itachi think it was? With so many loose ends and ambiguous words, it made for a confused Sakura. She glanced at the heir only for him to be staring right back at her with a neutral expression.

"No need to be modest." Mikoto mistook her reaction, "Don't you usually accompany the Hokage's son?"

When worded like that, it really separated the mental image of Naruto from reality. The _Hokage's_ son, as if the title defined who he was as a person. Then it dawned on her susceptible mind, that in an occasion like this, that was really all that mattered to some of these people. They cared about notoriety and their _labels_ above all, that fact alone that this was an exclusive event for clans only.

Circular tables that seated around eight or nine, Itachi sat on Fugku's right and Mikoto on the patriarch's other side. Sakura smiled from her place at Itachi's left, wondering who else would be joining them at their table.

Both members of Team Seven were surprised to see one another, Sasuke taking the seat next to her while Shisui's parents and him took up the remaining area.

Sasuke turned to his female teammate in obvious shock, eyes widened more so than usual while he slowly settled into his spot. Sakura greeted him in a low voice, to which he only nodded before returning to his usually neutral expression.

 _Damn,_ that meant he was still going to ignore her.

A man Sakura remembered from the Hyūga clan, with an unseemingly haircut , stepped up to the podium. Trying to remember Naruto's amusing nickname that he said last year (that very much almost got them in trouble with the Hokage himself), Sakura stared straight at him in the front of the room.

Naruto turned to where he knew Sakura was sitting and mouthed , " _Ugly angry bird."_

She cracked a smile and the blond quickly glanced at the Hyūga sitting next to him, smoothly disguising the action. Itachi glanced at her with a smirk, before returning back to attention to the speaker.

The pinkette, who usually stood as an inspiring beacon of hope and propriety from a civilian family, failed at paying attention to the subject matter at hand. She did try, at the very least. Staring at his crude appearance and forcing herself to hang onto words that barely mattered to her, Sakura felt her attention slipping until it was almost completely distracted. It was all praises over things that, in the large scheme that was Konoha's politics, only held importance to those present for the event. Clan politics, much of which Sakura hardly cared for, were spouted endlessly from speaker after speaker.

Thankfully, no one had noticed her mental absence and everyone was ushered into dinner. Sakura, while not as heavily conditioned with dinner etiquette like the proud Uchiha clan, still held her own throughout the four-course meal. Having been a constant guest at the Namikaze table did not require this level of table decorum, their only son usually disregarding all modesty in favor of downing his food quickly, but that did not mean she had completely. Speaking jovially to her those who shared her table, Sakura followed along with the program.

There was a break between the last dinner serving and dessert, inviting various clan members to either socialize or join the dance floor. Not shirking her duties as the Uchiha heir's date, especially since it seemed everyone was at attention, Sakura willingly placed her arm in his elbow and followed along as he walked.

It was strange - Sakura knew better that her stoic Captain would have preferred to be sleeping or reading somewhere, rather than having to socialize. This action probably stood at the very bottom of his list, but being the heir to one of the most prominent clans in the entire village came with responsibilities that hindered personal freedom. While Itachi would have clearly be doing literally anything else, Sakura smiled on and supported him through this time.

"Hokage-sama." Itachi greeted Minato, when they neared the head table. Sakura bowing in greeting as well.

Sakura could see the minute surprise in the Hokage's expression, before it was quickly squashed and instead replaced with a happy expression. "No need for formalities tonight, Itachi-san. Glad seeing you." Minato replied.

Kushina rounded her husband, turning to look at the couple and not at all veiling her astonishment. Eyes wide and mouth moving from a smile to a tenser one, Sakura decided on breaking the silence.

"Nice to see you, Kushina-san."

"No need for that, you know you're always welcome with our family." She countered, eyes still traveling between the pinkette and the Uchiha heir. "Though I cannot help but be surprised that you're with different company this year."

"Both Naruto and I admitted it felt like breaking a sacred tradition." Sakura admitted, "But it's good to see him with a proper date."

Kushina's smile loosened, as if she was thinking carefully on the pinkette's words. Before she could add anything, her best-friend and long confidant bounded into the conversation.

"You look beautiful, Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellowed as he tugged at her arm, grabbing her into a hug and out of Itachi's grasp.

"Thanks." Sakura replied, "You clean up well. Where's your date?"

Naruto reacted sheepishly, saying nothing but scratching the area behind his head with a small smile. Sakura could not stop the instinctive reaction of rolling her eyes. But the blond quickly sobered up, turning to the older Uchiha.

With a surprisingly wistful smile, Naruto started. "I'm glad you were able to come anyway, even if it's not with me."

Even though it was a simple sentence, it felt more loaded then it gave off. Sakura gave him a weird expression, narrowing her eyes in question and titling her head in confusion. His statement seemed more serious than he was giving off, but Naruto held onto his smile and said nothing else to the couple.

While Sakura would have loved to socialize longer with them, the pinkette heard Itachi get greeted away by others and followed along with a wave goodbye to her company.

There were various reactions from everyone they met that night, from obviously surprised expressions to mischievous stares. There was not a single person who looked at them and thought that it was a casual setting - everyone implied another agenda.

When greeted by Itachi's past teammates, Inuzuka Hana felt the need to smile and elbow him in suggestion not-so-subtly. Shino greeted the two in a neutral tone, but still made a point of congratulating the heir's long-awaited relationship. (To which Sakura immediately denied, but was called away before she could deem Shino fully convinced.) Kakashi kept his expression bland, but Sakura knew better than his _supposed_ blank-stare and examined the small wrinkles on his forehead that usually signaled that he was deep in thought.

"Itachi-san and Sakura-chan, who would've guessed." Dan joked with a smile when he neared the two, while Tsunade raised a brow in suspicion, an _entire_ bottle of sake in her hand.

"Did you lose a bet or something, Sakura?"

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura immediately yelled with an amused tilt. "I'm very _willing_ and happy to accompany my friend tonight."

" _Friend_." Tsunade repeated, raising the bottle to Dan. "You owe me twenty bucks."

Sakura rolled her eyes with Itachi looked on with an amused tilt. Thankfully that was all that her mentor had to say to her accompanying the Uchiha heir. If she had said anything else, like that of the gossip Shizune had asked her only a few days ago, Sakura swore she may have exploded out of sheer embarrassment.

Glancing around the venue once more, Sakura caught the gaze of her Uchiha teammate on her, before he quickly looked away. She had hoped by now that their awkward atmosphere would have been resolved. But Sasuke had yet to approach her, opting to say nothing and wandering on his own accord without ever greeting his brother.

It seemed every older clan member, no matter Uchiha or from another, approached them with obvious intentions. They pushed conversations to the maximum, pretending to maintain a smile as they proposed personal questions to both the pinkette and the Uchiha heir. Asking of their future, their current status, and even the possibility of a marriage - Sakura fought the urge to punch a fist into multiple elders who found it necessary to constantly enter her personal bubble.

This must have been Itachi's secret super-power, having attended many events like this in the past, for he was able to subvert questions with neutral answers or subtly changing the conversation without notice.

Trying to maintain a subtle appearance even though the seemingly _biggest scoop_ of the decade was in-front of her, Ino concealed her excitement when approaching the couple, Shikamaru trailing behind her as well.

"No wonder you were so ambiguous when you rejected my invitation, Forehead." Ino started, "You never mentioned to me you had a date."

Itachi nodded to his fellow Jōnin, neither male saying anything as they listened in on the women's conversation.

Sakura grimaced, "Sorry, it just happened one night and then we were assigned to a mission the next."

Ino smiled, "No worries, I'm glad to have gotten a second with the beautiful couple."

Sakura fought the urge to take a step-back in worry, it was rare for her blonde friend to not immediately burst in her enthusiasm. If not for the occasion, the pinkette was sure her best-friend would have ran to them at first glance and try to knock the information out of her.

Shikamaru must have been thinking something along the same lines, especially since the tactician was close friends with the blonde as well, since he silently muttered _troublesome_ before shit hit the fan.

"Of course, I look forward to seeing you two on the dance floor." Ino invited, nudging her head in it's direction. "Enjoy your night, you too." Her wink was not at all subtle, Shikamaru rolling his eyes as he waved goodbye and followed along with the blonde.

For once not being pushed to answer personal questions or approached by an elder with a certain _interest,_ Sakura enjoyed the silence with a deep breath. Itachi smirked at her reaction and lightly squeezed her hand in apology.

"Shall we dance?" Itachi offered, extending his free palm up toward the medic.

Smiling wide, Sakura took it and said. "I'd love to."

The butterflies she felt throughout the dinner was nothing like the now raging wasps that seemed to be churning her insides. Unlike their walking around, Itachi was now guiding her by their joined hands toward the _very center_ of the dance floor. Any hope of going unseen was completely thrown out the window (not like it was entirely viable since it seemed almost _everyone_ kept looking in their direction throughout the night).

There were only a few other couples on the dancefloor, a medium to slow paced playlist permeating the venue. Sakura felt conversation around her come to a standstill, as if there were others who were speaking and suddenly stopped due to their profound interest in the couple. Sakura made a point of not looking at anyone other than her partner, in fear that it would make her self-conscious at the attention.

Placing a friendly hand on her waist and guiding her hand in his, Itachi lead the pinkette in a slow waltz to the orchestral music. Their height difference most evident now, Sakura had to angle her head upwards just to be able to peer up at him. Focusing on his appearance was a better distraction than the venue around her - from his long eyelashes to his perfectly crafted jawline.

There was no doubt that Itachi was attractive – anyone with eyes could see that. A lean body that withheld years of experience and fighting ability, he was one of the highest forms of male physique. Long-hair that, while it exceeded her one, fit his appearance quite naturally – adding a level of mysterious sexiness to the already physically appealing male. Not that she would ever admit it aloud, but Sakura wondered, for just a second, what it would be like to comb her fingers through the unbound silkiness that was his dark tress.

 _Maybe it was not a good idea to stare at him._

But Sakura could not tear her attention away from the Uchiha heir. A fine, handsome man that made her blush simply with his looks, Sakura openly gawked at her date while Itachi just kept on smirking. Taking in her distracted state, Itachi held her in similar regard - memorizing the exact shade of her bright emerald eyes and appreciating the red flush on her pale cheeks.

Focusing on nothing more than each other, the couple enjoyed their slow dance without a care for the other clan members.

Ino walked over to the Hyūga side of the room, (which ran almost completely parallel to that of the Uchiha's), and tapped on her brunette friend's shoulder.

"Can you believe-"

Tenten excused herself from the table and grabbed the blonde's hand, walking away from the other proper clan members. "I know!" She screamed in excitement, voice barely over a whisper.

"First off, you and Neji are hella cute - you can't even deny it." Ino stated in a casual tone, motioning to where the weapons-master was seated next to her teammate.

"Thanks." Tenten blushed then turned toward the dancefloor, "But more important, we aren't ready for this development."

After a beat, Ino replied. "I don't think anyone is." She motioned to the people throughout the venue, watching as people openly examined the couple and then commented on the juicy gossip.

Neji joined the two women, placing a casual hand around Tenten's waist and greeting the blonde, who did not comment on the affectionate gesture. Shikamaru, having caught up to his teammate, waved at the growing group and stood to the side. Naruto along with Sasuke and Hinata greeted the others with an amicable smile.

Ino spied the close distance between Naruto and Hinata with a guarded expression, before turning back to the pinkette. Neji was just as quickly called away, following another elder into an apparently serious conversation.

"They make a good couple." Tenten commented. "Are they actually courting?"

"No way!" Naruto replied, "I was there when he asked her, they're just friends."

Ino raised a brow, "Itachi doesn't seem like the type of person to casually pursue someone." She noted outwardly, "Maybe he's interested in her."

"Or something changed during their mission?" Tenten offered.

The two women were deep in thought, examining the scene and allowing silence to infiltrate the conversation. Shikamaru muttered a _troublesome,_ at the growing drama and Hinata added, "She would surely gain the approval of his clan, even as the heir."

Itachi was the prized bachelor of Konoha, no form of gossip ever forming in the past that connected him to another kunoichi. And yet here he was, willingly displaying his interest in one of the best medics that was becoming renowned throughout the world on her own skill.

But there was also the fact that it was apparent they were not dating. If they had been, Itachi would have introduced Sakura as his significant other in conversation to his more conservative members of his clan. But he had not and the two had yet to do anything that would warrant that label, such as sharing a kiss. Sakura was close to many male members in the village, hand-holding not an exclusive event to the Uchiha heir, Ino deduced.

It seemed that the both of them were simply here as friends, but not as simply put as Naruto had said. It was as if they were testing the waters, enjoying each others' company tonight without the commitment of a romantic relationship. Knowing better than anyone that the pinkette was terrible at sorting out her feelings, Ino wondered just where the future was going to take her best-friend.

"I don't know if I trust him with Sakura-chan." Naruto commented, bringing the blonde out of her thoughts.

"They fit together well." Ino countered, "Besides, Sakura is a big girl. She can handle herself."

Spying that the couple was looking entirely at each other, without care for their friends and various clan members, Ino felt an influx of happiness for her friend. Suddenly feeling as if she was spying on a private moment, Ino shifted her eyes away and tried to redirect the conversation.

"She's not the only one on a date tonight." She stated toward Hinata and Naruto, causing the Hyūga heir to blush and return back to her early stutter while Naruto had his sheepish smile back on.

The young Uchiha, present for the entire conversation, was mentally on a completely different plane of existence. It was true that Itachi and Sakura's night together was relatively tame. It could be argued, from Sasuke's knowing perspective, that Sakura was cordially fulfilling her role as accompanying the Uchiha heir - temporarily _schmoozing_ with the clan throughout the night and offering support to the stoic male.

Even the many years of accompanying Naruto was deemed much more wild than this. Being a close companion to the blond meant he had no qualms in throwing a loose arm around her shoulders, dancing with her on multiple occasions, and leading her by the hand as they walked the expanse of the venue. The two were often seen in close quarters and Naruto even made a point of enjoying calling Sakura 'his date.' This was a man who had previously made known his love for the pinkette, his affections not a secret to a single person in the _entire village_ even.

Despite all this, her time with Itachi seemed much more intimate than the _years_ she accompanied Naruto. While there was undoubtedly gossip surrounding her and the Hokage's son, it was known that the two were close even beyond the bounds of the event.

But Itachi... he was rarely seen with another kunoichi beyond the bounds of a mission, the clan, or overall propriety. Did he request Sakura to join him in order to subdue the growing pressure from the clan? Or was this entirely in Itachi's personal interest in his female teammate?

Sasuke could not stop the rising panic beneath his stoic expression.

He knew better than to view his brother's apparent interest in the pinkette as casual, but the added gossip occurring around him only heightened his anxiety.

 _"Apprentice to a Legendary Sannin, how fitting."_

 _"I heard she was promoted to Jōnin recently from multiple recommendations, before either of her teammates reached Chūnin."_

 _"From what I know, she's been constantly requested onto ANBU teams."_

 _"Didn't Sunagakure specifically request her since their entire hospital could not help their own?"_

While his teammates were subject to gossip from their relations, it was clear tonight that every single person present had spoken about Sakura at least once. Naruto was the Hokage's son and member of the Uzumaki clan, of course he gathered attention, but his bright personality often subverted malicious words.

But Sakura, who did not hail from a shinobi clan, had strong connections to seemingly every prominent clan in some way or other - close friend group comprised of both heiresses to the Yamanaka and Hyūga clan, teammate and close friend to an Uchiha, Sensei a member of the humble Hatake clan, apprentice to one of the remaining Senju, Shōji partner to the future head of the Nara clan, sisterly figure to the Hokage's son and member of the Uzumaki clan. Sakura's network was unlike many that hailed from civilian families, instead gaining a name of her own and along with it, the gossip that came with being a key player in the village.

Staring at the couple one last time, Sasuke turned and drifted away to wherever his feet would take him. His blond best-friend caught onto his demeanor immediately and muttered a small apology to his date before following behind him.

"Thank you." Sakura stated at the end of their dance, separating after he was called away by another elder.

He nodded in agreement, before following behind the other Uchiha.

She turned and immediately found the chest of another Uchiha, Shisui to be exact. "You're already here, share this dance with me?"

Sakura nodded, taking his hand but standing a noticeably considerable amount away in comparison to her stance with Itachi.

"Enjoyed your dance?"

"You have me in your arms and you're asking me about another man?" Sakura joked.

"We both know that if I threw my hat in the ring, I would have you no problem." Shisui retorted with an amused smirk, "But I want to be fair to my _baby cousin._ "

"Of course." She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I have to amend that, since it seems he finally caught you under his spell."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Your fierce blush and glossy eyes can't lie to me." Shisui said as he smirked. "I'm happy for you two."

Sakura chuckled, "You say that as if we're getting married."

"Don't tell me you're still under the platonic guise of friendship."

"Nothing has been explicitly stated and I'm not going to assume beyond my understanding." Sakura countered.

Shisui paused at her expression, "You're serious."

"Of course."

" _Oh boy._ "

"Don't ' _oh boy'_ me. It's not like we've done anything beyond the bounds of being cordial with one another." Sakura explained, "Hand-holding and dating are not exclusive to the other. It's not like we kissed or anything."

Shisui narrowed his eyes at her with an amused glint. "Would you want him to kiss you?"

Sakura paused, blushing at simply the thought, and then outwardly denied it. But with that reaction, she had not _even slightly_ convinced the other Uchiha. Shisui simply chuckled, before enjoying the remnants of their dance.

When he departed, Sakura spotted Itachi still in a rapt conversation with the elder from before. Deciding it was not her place, Sakura turned to look for her friends and if they were free from their current obligations. Ino spotted her wandering eyes and waved her over to their group, a drink in the other hand.

"If I wasn't able to say it before, you look beautiful, Sakura." Tenten complimented as she neared the group in her long kimono.

"Thank you, you as well. It's strange for me to see you all adorned in Hyūga garments, but still very beautiful."

The brunette thanked her and commented, "Likewise, it's like the Uchiha clan threw-up all over you."

Both girls laughed at the joke, Sakura admitting that the clan emblem felt like a huge target of conversation seemingly _on purpose._ But, she digressed.

"Having a good night?" Ino teased.

"I didn't realize how stressful a night like this can be." Sakura admitted.

"That's because you and Naruto usually either sneak away or joke around without a care about the occasion." Ino replied.

"Where is he, anyway?" Sakura asked toward Hinata, eyes roaming the venue and not spotting the blond in view. "Don't tell me he just left his date."

"He walked off with Sasuke-san earlier." Hinata explained, looking away as she responded.

Both Ino and Sakura shared a look, before the blonde attempted to placate the now tense conversation.

While he was the moodier member of Team Seven, Uchiha Sasuke was not a complete question mark when it came to his teammates. Usually, they were able to pinpoint a certain causality to his annoyance, whether it be from his blond teammate or even an inner-clan ordeal. However, this particular instance was lasting longer than usual and even becoming deeper-seeded into his interactions with his teammates. While Naruto would usually spar with him and somehow help alleviate his frustration, it seemed as if it was not that simple this time.

Sakura was about to comment that this occurrence was entirely Sasuke's fault, but was called away by her own Uchiha counterpart. Instead, the pinkette gave a comforting squeeze in the crook of the Hyūga heiress' elbow as she was whisked away.

The pinkette smiled politely as she stood at Itachi's side, trying her best to keep a level-head as question after question was shot at her.

While the village gossip may say otherwise, Sakura would admit that the night went along rather tame. Their dance, while internally sent a flood of wasps to her nerves, was entirely chaste and, in all honesty, expected of a couple accompanying one another to a _gala_ of all things. It was not as if it ended in a love confession or a scandalous kiss, but a cordial action that they quickly departed from.

With dessert and final drinks announced for this rather rigid event, Itachi agreed that it was the acceptable (and his personally preferred) time to take their leave. Waving goodbyes to his clan members and her various friends, both were eager to finally dive into the comfort of their respective homes.

"Again, I'm glad for you to have joined our family tonight." Mikoto stated as she winked none-too-inconspicuously.

Sakura took the hug with a polite smile, sticking her tongue out over her shoulder when Shisui waved his eyebrows at her.

Unlike her entrance to the event, Itachi offered to personally escort her home. While she would have fought the need on any other day, there was something special on a night like this. It may have been from the way she dressed or the fact that they were each others' dates, but Sakura appreciated the company home to her lonely apartment.

"Thank you for inviting me." Sakura started as they walked.

Not breaking in stride as he turned his attention to her, Itachi replied. "It was my pleasure."

"And thank you again for the kimono." She stated with a smile.

He smirked, "You don't have to thank me for everything." He turned back to the path ahead of them and said in a low voice, "Besides, you may need it again in the future."

Sakura felt herself physically hesitate, both in mind and movement, before following behind her Uchiha counterpart as they continued walking. Unsure what to say to her captain and friend, Sakura appreciated the comfortable silence as they trailed along.

"I know this isn't exactly how you prefer to spend your nights, but I was glad to spend it with you." Sakura admitted, "I had a wonderful time ."

Itachi turned to her, a hint of a smile on his face, and for once, let some of his emotion shine through his onyx orbs. Hints of tender affection flit to the enamored pinkette, captivated by the uncommon fondness that her ANBU captain was directing at _her._

"Myself as well." He added, but the pinkette was completely lost in his eyes to realize what he was really saying.

Keen on burning the expression to memory, the mesmerized kunoichi reflected back her own fond warmth to the Uchiha heir in her own visage.

Her smile quickly dropped to that of a surprised look as Itachi drew closer to her visage, lowering himself as he neared her face. Mind traveling faster than Naruto running at a full bowl of ramen, Sakura felt the traces of unsureness and somewhat panic edging somewhere inside her. She thought of a billion possibilities and outcomes.

 _Itachi lowers himself to whisper something, she blushes._

 _Itachi blows a leaf out of her hair, she runs._

 _Itachi… kisses her, she explodes._

This all crashed into reality when she felt the small tingles of his soft lips against her forehead, a chaste kiss placed above her brow before he drew back to his regular posture.

"Have a goodnight, Sakura." He muttered as he lightly poked the same area with two fingers.

Before she could get a single word out in response, all that was left of the usually stoic Uchiha was a small flicker that signified his leave. A part of her was grateful that he would not see her sudden blush of surprise at the action. Another part of her, the more conspiratory part that whispered of feelings that she was silently desiring, was frustrated that he had not lingered on with further affections that came with a proper, romantic date.

… _Was this a date?_

Sakura was more so unsure now than before, wanting nothing more than a straight answer amongst the mass confusion that is the Uchiha captain. Was that kiss platonic – just a cordial means to an evening of her accompanying him? What was with him poking her on the forehead anyway?

Sasuke, with his constant avoidance of her person, was acting much like the person of her undesired Genin days. And Itachi, who was once her captain that kept others at an arms-length, was acting as if closer to her than her teammate.

The pinkette lingered there, stood surprised as she inwardly analyzed her strange relationship with her usually cold-fish ANBU captain. A man of few words, but many actions – Itachi was proving determined to slowly but surely worm his way into a fundamental role in her life.

She raised a gentle hand to the area that was once graced by the Uchiha heir, smiling as she did so.

Thoughts solely on her captain, the pinkette was startled to feel the sudden appearance of a constant on her team.

"Sasuke?" She called out as his footsteps drew closer and closer.

Despite her disdain to his recently annoyed attitude, it was quickly overcome from the overpoweringly intense expression adorned on his face.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong – "

"What the hell was that?" He stated out in a low-tone that commanded the complete attention of the poor pinkette.

"What are you talking about?"

Sasuke looked her dead in the eye and stated, "The kiss."

She paused, eyes narrowing as she did so. "Were you spying on me?"

He turned to the side, unwilling to admit that he was caught in such an act. Rather, in his strange Uchiha-esque belief, it was as if it was his duty and was thus entitled to follow his female teammate, Sakura inwardly mused.

She was immediately incensed at the thought.

It was almost as if the Sasuke she was getting used to was only a daydream. That the one that had lunch with her not too long ago, the one that practically made her promise to confide in him, was in fact just an alternate Sasuke to the one in front of her now. It made her chest ache, to think that the teammate she was beginning to see as a close friend was slowly reverting back to the Sasuke that seemed to resent her presence.

Taking a deep sigh, Sakura asked. "Sasuke, what is up with you lately?"

He said nothing in response, eyes still to the side. Sakura knew better than to believe his toughexterior, the action usually meaning that Sasuke knew exactly what he wanted to say but was deliberating on what to _actually_ say aloud.

A whole minute of silence dragged on in agonizing silence, permeated only by the distant sounds of the near slumbering village and the occasional nocturnal animal.

Huffing with impatience and just _being tired of Sasuke,_ Sakura took a long look at the Uchiha and turned around to enter her own apartment. Just as quickly, the young Uchiha grabbed her by the crook of her elbow, not enough to induce pain but surely to garner her attention.

His facial expression was enough to stop Sakura in her tracks – a mix of panic and unsureness.

She turned to him fully, his hand moving from her elbow to rest back at his side. Instead, it was her that grabbed at him this time, taking one of his hands and encasing it between two of her own. "Sasuke, please talk to me."

His eyes were immediately drawn to her action, his onyx eyes staring intently at their joined hands.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm always here for you. You know that." She urged, suddenly more worried at his quiet behavior.

"Then why him?" Sasuke asked suddenly, staring right back into her emerald orbs.

"What?" She questioned right back, confusion showing with her scrunched-up facial visage.

"Why did you go with Itachi?"

Sasuke felt her hold on his hands weaken, a sign that she was both caught off-guard at his inquiry and uncertain about her answer.

"Well, because he asked me." She answered honestly, but from Sasuke's blank countenance she knew that response was not good enough. "I was out to dinner with Naruto when he and Shisui just showed up and he asked. It's not like it was a huge romantic gesture nor did anyone else ask me to join them."

Sasuke blinked once at her answer, at least showing some sign that he was still in there, Sakura inwardly joked.

"Would you have gone with me, if I had asked?"

"Of course, Sasuke-kun." Sakura replied immediately, "But you were being all… Sasuke, at the time."

He rolled his eyes very minimally, almost as if he was trying to restrain the action but could not stop the quick, reflexive act.

"Sasuke-kun, what is this really about?"

Aforementioned Uchiha stepped forward, lessening the distance between them but maneuvering the hold of her hands to place it into his larger palm. With his free hand, Sasuke reached up and lightly grazed the side of her cheek, pushing strands of pink to the side and tucking it behind her ear.

"I can't shout how I feel to the world like the dobe or feign casualness with you like my brother." Sasuke stated as his piercing onyx eyes invaded the pinkette's entire field of sight, whose eyes were wide as she took in every word. "But after everything that we've been through..."

Unsure, but having a small, unbelieving inkling to where this conversation was headed, Sakura asked in a low tone, "Sasuke-kun?"

In a rush of uncharacteristic actions that lacked the cool decorum that was Sasuke – briefly biting his lip and tilting his head in an unsure motion – the young Uchiha steeled his resolve as he took a deep breath.

His hold on her chin quickly guided her closer, until the distance closed entirely.

Sakura felt the light ghost of his lips against hers, the rapid movement sparking an intense flicker of feelings at the sudden action, gone as quickly as he was. Sasuke backed off before she could respond – whether pushing him away or leaning in, even she did not know. His hold turned gentle, caressing the side of her cheek before staying there.

"You drive me absolutely insane." He whispered in a low tone, lips still touching with their foreheads leaned together, as he muttered this in his husky voice.

This caused an immediate shudder up her spine, the deep tone of his now fully adult-body sending a tremble in response. His eyes immediately snapped to hers, surprised at her body's reflexive action to him.

Sakura noticed his half-lidded gaze, still intense as it bore into her emerald eyes. But there was no doubt about the usually well-guarded emotions that he was now displaying: affection, _lust._

The thought was exhilarating, that she had this much power over a man with such hardened reserve. There was no doubt behind his deep manual breathing and dilated pupils – he wanted her. But, after all that happened between them, could she share the same sentiment?

Exhilarating, but was also scary.

This was _Uchiha Sasuke._

Her long-time teammate who she had a constant roller-coaster of a friendship with.

Sakura was sure that her sudden internal anxieties were displayed on her outward appearance, for Sasuke backed away and was gone in an instant.

She lifted her hand and called out to him to no avail, the only thing left of Sasuke was the memory of his lips on hers.

 **A/N: Between the two, I honestly feel that Sasuke would be the more aggressive with his feelings, even if he was unsure, as opposed to Itachi. With the older Uchiha, I feel like it'd be very subtle, but again that's just me**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I think the biggest problem I have with writing Sasuke is that I keep mixing the idea of the original/angsty/suffering Sasuke we have in canon and the Road to Ninja/Absolute PLAYA we see…**

 **I keep holding onto a sassy and yet still kinda angsty Sasuke. I guess it doesnt help that I also hold onto that filler episode where Itachi doesnt kill the clan and Sasuke STILL leaves.**

 **Not sure what to do with dat boi**

 **(also you may notice I am completely not addressing the fact that i have not updated in like a year - pls forgive me)**

* * *

It seemed as if every ounce of patience Sakura had was being tried – her teammate was long missing and obviously avoiding her since the night of the clan gala. She tried everything short of simply waiting in his room at night and ambushing him there. The pinkette had visited his family home on one occasion, to which Mikoto gladly greeted her at the door.

"Strange. Sasuke-kun was just here moments ago for breakfast, but it seems he's gone." Mikoto stated as she guided the young kunoichi into the house to where her teammate was just sitting.

Sakura sighed, having half a mind to simply let it go if he was going to avoid her to no end.

Mikoto gave the young woman a knowing smile, instead offering. "Would you like to stay for tea? I'm sure Itachi will be on his way back soon."

Sakura fought the rising blush on her cheeks, not wanting to incite the matriarch further with her reaction to the older Uchiha. Rather, the pinkette tried her hardest to simply offer her thanks, but deny since she had duties at the hospital that were more pressing.

At their usually scheduled team spar, Sasuke was paired off with Naruto while Sakura with Kakashi. He was, by all defining points, acting just as his every day Sasuke. He regarded his blond best friend's comments with cold regard and kept a blank expression to nearly everything around him, offering small sassy remarks to what he personally deemed idiotic.

But this was not just Sasuke anymore, at least not to her.

This was _Sasuke_ – the one who kissed her full on the lips.

And while she would have immediately ambushed him after training, she was called away by a nondescript ANBU who relayed her presence was necessary at the hospital.

Now, the pinkette sat at her window late at night, wondering if she should even continue to linger on the thought that was constantly plaguing her. Maybe Sasuke was embarrassed that he had even made a move in the first place and that this was his way of trying to move passed it, Sakura inwardly reasoned. It was clear as day that he did not even want to even _talk_ about it with her, so maybe it would be better if they both ignored it from their memories. Much like her confession to him as a Genin, perhaps they just needed to leave that event fully in the past.

She walked through the empty halls of the hospital the next day with a sort of sluggishness in her step. If her conclusion was right, then it brought a sad realization to Sakura - that Sasuke had struggled with his feelings for her and deemed it not worth pursuing.

And while the long-gone dream that she would receive a love confession from the young Uchiha was one of her Genin days, Sakura could not help the gloomy pit in her stomach that her relationship with her teammate had now worsened.

Her sad musings were quickly pushed to the side when she heard her name get announced on the overheard speaker, calling her to an OR for assistance.

By the time she had time to sit down and truly think about how she was going to progress in her situation with Sasuke, her presence was requested by the Hokage at the end of her shift.

The life of a Saninn's apprentice was not easy – this serving as a reminder of why she had always put her social life, and by extension her romantic endeavors, on the backburner.

Throwing her dirtied doctor's coat on her desk, Shizune long gone and the silence of the room being permeated by it's minuscule _thud,_ Sakura exited via the window and hopped over to the Hokage Tower.

Unlike many, who used the window as their own personal entrance, Sakura hopped down into the hall before knocking on the door to the Hokage's chamber. She was welcomed in quickly, Team Eight leaving just as she was going inside.

Kiba winked flirtatiously while his other two teammates nodded in greeting as they passed.

"You requested for me?"

Minato nodded, leaning back in his seat to retrieve a scroll from a lower drawer in his desk. He opened it before her, quickly scanning its contents before rolling it backup and placing it at the edge of the desk, silently willing Sakura to take it for herself. Dan sat in one of the seats along the wall, quiet as he regarded her before returning his attention back to reading the scroll in his hands.

"As you personally know, Konoha has faced a continuous amount of attacks from what we are concluding as the same poison user that attacked Gaara." Minato started, "But we are not alone."

He motioned to the closed scroll in her hands, "Sunagakure has also faced multiple attacks, but has since reached out to us for assistance. They admitted that the original antidote you made has helped tremendously, but they fear they cannot handle a dire situation if called for it."

"The mission entailed is until the upcoming Chūnin exams, more specifically nine months, with the possibility of extension if necessary. Your primary goal will be to help improve their hospital in these troubling times."

"We're agreeing to send multiple medics in a time of mutual distress?" Sakura asked with a raised brow.

"They requested for you specifically, Sakura." Minato answered, shocking the pinkette with his words. "It's entirely up to you to accept, but you would be going alone."

While she had been there for them in their time of need, it still came as a shock that the occasion was so imprinted into their memory. She had somewhat expected Sunagakure to appeal to her own village, but not think so highly of herself that she was the specific one that they wanted – and the _only one_ at that. It served as a huge compliment to her skill and ability, but also humbled her.

They wanted her when they needed it most, she would not let them down.

"There are more specific terms within the scroll." Minato continued, "But they've given Konoha an offer we cannot outright refuse at this time."

Sakura paused, biting her lip in a show that she was deliberating her next few words. There was obviously a large sum of money in the balance of her decision, but even so, the pinkette felt a strong conviction of loyalty to Konoha during these troubling times. It was difficult enough for the kunoichi in Konoha's hospital to analyze the poisons and hope to find a pattern. But in Suna, her work would nearly be triple-fold. They would probably expect her to work on shifts at certain times, as on top of training their hospital and assist in leading the more pressing departments.

Her worry must have been evident on her visage, since Minato added. "You're given a week to decide."

Sakura nodded, gripping the scroll in her hand just a little harder.

"Please read the scroll carefully and consider your decision." Minato concluded, nodding his head in a quiet signal that the mission brief was over.

The pinkette fought tooth-and-nail to get where she was now. Rising above her civilian background, she dedicated her life to the ninja way, hoping to serve her village in the best way that she could.

But this mission…

It would take her away from her aforementioned village – filled with her friends, family, and her strange relationships with _one said teammate –_ for more than half the year, at the very least. This mission would require hard dedication and, undoubtedly, take much more effort than any assignment she ever had before.

Too anxious to simply sit at home, Sakura spent the better half of the night deliberating over the specific contents of the scroll. The attack on both Kankurō and Gaara served as a rude awakening that their poisons department, while highly proficient at creating, was not as productive at healing. This lacking must have extended to other departments throughout the hospital, such as trauma and emergency.

It was almost as if the task of the mission was _too much_ – subtly asking for a top-to-bottom sweep of skill throughout its entire hospital. Sakura, while fully capable of running an entire department on her own, had never truly _run_ a hospital. Chief of Medicine was a title that Lady Tsunade held proudly for the past decade, with Shizune the next-in-line and Sakura one step behind.

(And from the amount of sake her mentor drank, it was enough to worry Sakura about her rising stress levels. The amount of paperwork that littered Tsunade's work area was near legendary and the amount of empty bottles was enough to spike her own blood-pressure.)

But, never, had Sakura ever worried that either kunoichi would step away from the hospital and require her immediate assistance for its entirety.

Sakura mentally slapped herself – reasoning that these thoughts were just of rising panic behind the impending responsibilities she may be tasked with. Yes, the mission details were generalized and very hopeful, but that did not damper down on the fact that the hospital was still standing. Suna had their own Chief of Medicine and their own tailor-made departments, it would just require tweaks and improvements rather than full changes (the pinkette reasoned optimistically).

She stayed awake the entire night, pondering the possibilities of the mission. If her presence was truly required here, then Minato would not have approached her on the topic in the first place. However, it seemed both him and Dan (and probably Tsunade, Sakura mused as she remembered her relationship to the Hokage-in-training), deemed the mission imperative enough to even suggest it to her.

Sakura, who was before staring at her bedroom ceiling while in pensive thought, quickly jumped out to pace her living room floor. A pot of tea sat ignored on the burner as the pinkette continued wandering around her room, a hand on her chin as she continued to simply _think._

It served as a double purpose for Konoha: it would be a large profit margin with little risk of casualty and strengthen the bond of its closest ally.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, her sudden epiphany hitting her like a _katon_ – just as the bright hues of the early sunrise crept through the cracks of her covered window.

The decision was made long before the scroll even crossed hands to her own.

Rasa's admiration of her character coupled with Konoha's knowledge that they could rely on her loyalty to the village – she would find her way back to Sunagakure inevitably.

Konoha's certainty regarding her loyalty to the village made her distantly smile – Minato entrusted this to her. Was willing to take these risks, because they _knew_ she would take it.

Sakura, finally concluding this, decided that she wanted to get some sleep _after all._

Creeping into her bed for those few hours left of sleep, Sakura woke the next day and went about it routinely. There was seemingly nothing extraordinary about the day, starting her shift in a quiet air. The day simply moved on, time moving forward without regard to the events. With only a few surgeries scheduled that day, Sakura found her mind wistfully wandering to the mission brief.

She exited the OR and, after confirming that the patient was well on his way to recovery, sat at her desk in the empty office she shared with Shizune. She simply sat, looking out the window at the beautiful expanse that was Konoha.

The times she was called on solo missions were few and in-between. Her presence on Team Kakashi was her regular one and, when given a chance to breathe, Itachi would request her on ANBU missions as well. There were times she joined Neji or other ANBU appeals, but it was rare for her to be away on her own. It was either medically related in that she would be gathering or researching ingredients or the occasional assassination mission that required the specific _skill_ and _stealth_ of a medic-nin (of course, in that it needed to look natural).

But to spend the greater half of a year away from her home…

Sakura took in a deep breath, before turning her attention to the sound of the office door opening.

Shizune shot her a greeting look, one that bordered a smile, before she offered two plates of a foreign cuisine. "Aoi called them burritos – they're not half bad."

The pinkette took the plate, thanking her as she went and placed it on her desk. Taking a bite and experiencing the odd mix of rice and various ingredients, the two women shared a smile before sitting back in their respective seats.

"How's the patient from OR 3?" Shizune asked as she rifled through the manila folder in her hands.

Sakura thought back to the older man, "In recovery. He should be ready to leave in a few days."

Shizune nodded, allowing the conversation to lull to a silence as Sakura continued to look out the window, the only sound the small munching of either kunoichi. The older woman said nothing, simply looking through her files and making markings here and there where she deemed necessary. The lack of movement on her counterpart did not go unnoticed, but Shizune decided not to comment. Rather, she trained her eyes to the Hyūga clan-member's file.

After the consult earlier, Shizune wondered if his physical ailments were somehow connected to something internally, since this was not the first time in the last two weeks he was seen in the hospital (nor was it even the _third_ time). The shortness of breath was unusual, but not something life-threatening at the present. Shizune read another line before her curiosity was drawn back to the pinkette, who quietly sighed into the air. It was minuscule and would normally be unnoticeable, but in their silence the sound promulgated the room. It was another one of her silent quirks and Shizune wondered if Sakura had even noticed she was doing it repeatedly, but decided not to comment.

But when Sakura had yet to move from her gazing position, Shizune prodded.

"Got a lot on your mind?"

Sakura hesitated, wanting to confide in the older woman, but unsure how much of her mission details were classified until she actually accepted.

Instead, she settled for saying, "I want to live up to the legacy that we've made within these four-walls."

"You're one of the youngest and most integral doctors this hospital has ever seen." Shizune started, taking another bite before standing and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You have a lot to learn, but don't doubt for a second how far you've come."

Sakura smiled, appreciating the older woman's comforting words.

"Besides, you'll always be one of two women who can shatter a mountain – no matter where you go." Shizune winked at the last part of her sentence, before she got up and returned to her side of the room.

Sakura took in her words, smile fading as she realized what Shizune had said at the end. Taking in a deep sigh, the pinkette asked. "Dan told you, didn't he?"

Shizune shot her a coy grin, before taking a final bite of her burrito and winking again before she left the room with the manila folder.

The pinkette just raised the strange food to her lips, smiling before taking a bite and looking out the window to gaze at Konoha once again.

It was no surprise to either women when Sakura approached the Hokage soon after, accepting the terms of the mission after only a day of deliberating. She was a loyal ninja to Konoha – but she took a sworn oath and engraved the moral duty into her heart, as a medic, she would serve those in need. And, in these times of increasing distress, she would follow where duty calls.

Minato nodded and said that the hawk would go out tomorrow, confirming her acceptance. Her only condition would be to live out one more week in Konoha, packing up necessities and preparing with Tsunade on essential logistical information.

"Don't think you won't be missed, Sakura-chan." Minato started with a comforting expression, "It's just that Konoha needs you more now."

She pushed down her inward hesitation and instead put on a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "I know."

It was strange to Sakura, to think that this week would be some of the last glimpses and memories she had with her close-friends until next year.

As she was leaving the Hokage Tower, Sakura found herself walking slower and more admiring than usual. Rather than a quick jog down and out, the pinkette marveled at the view she called routine. Konoha was the place she called home – where she returned to after a long mission and where she lived her whole life.

To think that the raging Suna sun and sand that seemed _everywhere_ was going to be her home for the next few months, it pushed Sakura to appreciate the lush greens around her.

Her gleaming eyes and appreciatory gaze were how the two older Uchiha found her.

"Didn't take you for a cloud-gazer, Sakura-chan." Shisui welcomed as he walked up to her. Itachi nodded in greeting and she shared the quick sentiment.

Sakura cracked a smile in response, "Not usually, but today is an exception."

"Something special happen?"

"Solo mission dictates I'll be gone for a few months." Sakura responded.

Shisui frowned immediately, "Does that mean I'll have to be more careful during missions?"

Sakura playfully smacked his shoulder, causing amused laughter from the Uchiha who could have easily avoided it.

"Kidding." He raised his arms in defense, "But you will be missed around here. Let's share a drink before you leave, okay?"

She chuckled lightly, "Of course."

Shisui nodded, before turning his body away. "I have to check the boards. So I'll leave you two love-birds your alone time."

The pinkette raised a warning fist in his direction, but the ninja infamous for his flicker-technique was gone in an instant, flashing a smirk as he disappeared.

"One of these days, I am going to seriously maul him." Sakura joked, "Have you had lunch already?"

Itachi smirked before stepping closer to the pinkette. "Yes and you?"

"Yes. How about a spar?"

The way Itachi blinked at her, then widened his smirk, should have set off warning bells in the pinkette's mind. And yet, without questioning the older Uchiha, Sakura continued on anyway as she followed him to one of the training grounds in the outer part of the village. While her and Itachi had engaged in friendly spars in the past, of course for the ANBU captain to gauge the skill of their newly added temporary member, there was just something strangely mischievous in the way he was presenting himself now.

Sakura simply chalked it up to his competitive nature. (While others did not see it, there was no doubt that Itachi could be competitive – maybe not exactly to the extent of her teammates _but it was still very much there_. While Sasuke emanated this air of arrogance, there was this undeniable confidence that surrounded the older Uchiha. And this was especially evident in the presence of a Shogi table or a any sort of intellectual challenge.)

The well-known Genjutsu-user was more than just the avenue in which he specialized in. Itachi, while infamous for his sharingan and techniques that could render someone entirely useless, did not use his clan-jutsu as crutch. He was adapt, better than most in his clan, to _adapting_ it in his fighting style - Itachi was much more the sharingan. Much like Sasori, he kept Sakura at mid-range, hoping to avoid her aggressive up-close-and-personal style. Having Sasuke as a teammate certainly helped, their spars requiring her to keep eye-contact away from his eyes and focusing on areas such as his feet instead.

But against someone so agile, it required a quick analyzing of the situation and reaction to it. She was more adept to fighting Sasuke and having a loud-mouth of a blond-teammate definitely helped, but her current situation was almost an immediate contrast to Itachi's style. By the time Sakura's mind was catching up, Itachi was already a few steps ahead.

He was ANBU captain of the best team in Konoha for a reason, anyway.

But that did not mean the newly-minted Jōnin would not try.

(Any outsider to the fight would probably deem it one-sided, and if anything he was simply humoring her, but the fact that she was lasting _this long_ against one of many famed ninja's was a feat in itself.)

In reality, this was one of many reasons Sakura believed the man to be a _sadist_ when he first invited her to train with him. The way he kicked her around the training field, in the very beginning of their friendship, had her often grumbling about those _damn Uchiha genes._ Looking back, he was the one preparing her for their high-level missions, but that did not mean she had not cursed him to the high skies for the many injuries he inflicted on her.

His sharingan quickly tracked her movements, following her not only physically, but the internal bursts of chakra that caused massive destruction. Sakura bit her lip in frustration – yes, it was incredibly _annoying_ , but she welcomed the challenge. As opposed to her usual routine with sparring with her flashy team, Itachi seemed to always surprise her in some way or another. It was strangely refreshing, no matter how much she grumbled and complained.

The main thing that Sakura could use in her favor during this fight, and abused it she did, was the fact that they were not truly enemies.

There were many moves that Itachi knew that could quickly mollify her (and probably render her unconscious or immobile _or worse_ ), but they were nullified in their friendly spar. By no means did he go easy on her, but she was comforted by the idea that she did not have to fear death by his hands.

Sakura dodged the sharp star heading her way, turning quickly and hurling a plethora of her own in his direction. Itachi watched the movement with sharp-eyes, realizing within milliseconds that there was an explosive tag that she was attempting to keep hidden under the sheer amount of weapons headed his way.

He took a chakra-enhanced step towards her, appearing just as quickly as she realized. Sakura summoned chakra to her fist, hoping to take advantage of the close-distance and use the strength she was known for. But seeing this, Itachi maneuvered her arm to subdue her. The offensive appendage now pushed to the side, he used his other arm to mollify her further, pushing her into the ground into a dominating hold.

If anything, Sakura was glad Itachi had not decided to fling her around like a _volleyball,_ much like he had in the past when she first started training with him and Shisui.

Having been in this situation before, Sakura heaved a sigh and dissipated the tension in her posture, allowing the brunt of Itachi's weight to fall on her as she silently submitted. Realizing her surrender instantly, the ANBU captain lifted himself off of her and offered a hand for her to take.

"One day." Sakura muttered as she rolled her eyes, a grin on her face demonstrating her conviction.

"We shall see." He stated with a small smirk, using one hand to lift her upright. "You've improved."

"But not good enough, right?" Sakura tried to hide her embarrassment through her joke.

Itachi frowned as he stepped forward, pushing back a lock of her hair to sit behind her ear, "Don't doubt your abilities, Sakura."

Sakura blinked, surprised at how smoothly her name rolled off the Uchiha's tongue. He had said it so naturally and if not for her apt attention, which snapped to Itachi's face the moment his hand came near her face, she would have backed away in an obvious flight response. From the small smirk on his visage, it was clear that the older Uchiha was well-aware of Sakura's line of thinking.

Itachi held onto her gaze for a few more beats, her large emerald ones displaying her unsure thoughts and slight edges of _panic._ Not wanting to further that thought, he backed away slightly to give her more breathing room.

Itachi continued, through the moment of silence. "I know your time is now limited, but if willing, would you like to join me for dinner tonight?"

She felt her smile widen, "Thank you, but I have some things I need to sort out today." She looked down at her watch and saw that late afternoon was approaching, "We can get lunch together at the end of this week, if that works?"

"I leave for a mission on Saturday, what of the day before?"

"That works for me." Sakura answered.

Itachi nodded and, instead of flickering away with a small goodbye like he had in the past, he waited for Sakura to get her bearings and indicated he would walk with her back into the village.

Sakura fought the musing of a blush from creeping to her skin. Her ANBU captain and friend, who previously was seen as nothing more than that, could easily elicit the aforementioned pink tint on her cheeks with his small actions. After the implications of the gala, it was hard not to look at Itachi and not associate some type of romantic gesture.

The age-old question never seemed to change: _Was it a date?_ ¿ _?_ ¿ _?_

But it was never answered. And Sakura, who was too afraid to shatter their newfound friendship, decided that it never needed to be. Itachi was blunt and if he wanted her to think of something a certain way, he would say it outright.

Or at least, that was the line of reasoning she clung to.

And yet, the tendrils of hope and uncertainty made their way into her heart. Why does Shisui, who is the closest person to Itachi, always make a point of teasing them together as romantic? Why had Mikoto insinuated that their time together at the gala was a date? It was made known to Sakura that he had not yet had anyone accompany him before, why had he chosen her? If he was truly so averse to the prospect of dating, why had he even asked her in the first place and not gone alone like he had in the past?

These questions raced around Sakura's mind, unanswered and threatening to come bursting to the forefront if the Uchiha heir failed to pacify her worries.

It was clear that she was not the only one thinking of these things, as the attention of several other passer-byers and vendors latched onto them as they passed.

She was less than an arms-length away from Itachi – nothing scandalous. She was often seen walking arm-in-arm with her teammates and some of the other members of her Academy year – her spacing between Itachi was _surely_ much more distance. But with the gossip and implications from the gala, and this being the infamously _quiet_ Uchiha, it was suddenly more scandalous than anything she had experienced before.

It did not help that when Itachi and Sakura had to part ways, living in opposite sides from this point on, he found the need to take a gentle hold of her elbow and verbally affirm their parting.

"See you then, Sakura." He stated, his hand slowly caressing her skin as it fell from her elbow down to her wrist, then took a hold of her hand and squeezed.

Sakura stood there dumbfounded, fully aware of those walking around her and having seen their interaction. She knew that even Itachi, with his back to her, knew of his affect on her as she simply watched his retreating figure.

Slighted at his ambiguous nature, Sakura huffed and turned in the opposite direction. It was no secret that the Yamanka's had some of the best flowers you could buy, which was probably where her blonde friend was now.

"What am I going to do without your huge billboard-brow to reflect _my_ beauty?"

"I don't think _pigs_ are in style."

Ino scoffed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes in a single motion. The two kunoichi were surrounded by flowers, Sakura leaning against the counter as she bantered with her best friend who was behind it.

"At least you'll be reunited with your boyfriend." Ino teased.

Sakura groaned, a small smile on her face as she turned away to a nearby vase of white calla lilies. She grazed a petal with a gentle hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll miss your _other_ boyfriends here too." She had a hand on her hip, loudly emphasizing the ' _s_ ' sound in _boyfriend._

"Please stop." Sakura stated in a near groaning voice.

The blonde joked with a wink, "If you won't do it, I will."

Sakura kept her flat expression, sighing heavily at her best friend's words.

"It's about time you got laid, forehead." Ino jested offhandedly as she filtered through a bouquet of roses in her grasp. Using a kunai to remove the thorns, the blonde's eyes stayed trained to the flowers at hand.

She had gushed that, there were probably dozens of fellow women _and men_ who would literally _kill_ to be in Sakura's position. Sakura scoffed, saying that their attention was not worth the trouble, if Sasuke was going to keep avoiding her and Itachi was never going to give her a straight answer.

"Something happened…"

"Okay, despite all the blurred lines on their end, what about you?" Ino redirected the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"Their feelings obviously means a lot to you, if you're this worried."

"Well, yeah. They're my friends."

" _Just_ your friends?" Ino emphasized, taking in Sakura's pause. "Do you think it's possible to be more, with either one of them?"

Sakura bit her lip, unsure how to even approach that question. Sakura's previous crush on her teammate was palpable to the _entire_ village. At the time, she would have done anything for Sasuke to stay in Konoha and fall in love with her. But even thinking back to that memory only brought a grimace. Her selfish desire for love almost cost the both of them who they are today – Sakura would have not have had her priorities straight and, if Sasuke had stayed, he would have missed his training opportunity.

And now… how could they be more than friends when their friendship would be up in flames at every twist and turn. It was not stable by any means – but that was not a bridge Sakura was going to cross alone. Only _if_ Sasuke were to approach her and finally have the proper conversation, _maybe_ she will consider implications.

And Itachi… _lol nah,_ Sakura joked inwardly.

If he actually felt something for her, wouldn't he have said something by now?

But even to the pinkette herself, that felt like a weak excuse. Yes, Itachi was an absolute genius and incredibly brunt with his words, but at the end of the day he was still just a man. He was subject to emotions and his own brand of social etiquettes, would his romantic efforts truly be the same as someone he only viewed as a friend?

If she thought about it anymore, Sakura would be sporting another headache.

"I don't know." Sakura admitted, looking to the side as Ino gave her a reassuring smile.

The blonde put comforting hands on her shoulders, "No worries. There's no rush. Go to Suna and get some 'me time' in."

Sakura nodded in agreement, appreciative of her friends reassuring words.

 **xXxXxXxXx**

"Tadaima." Sasuke greeted his family home, having gone out with his blond teammate to train that morning.

The hope of releasing some of the inward pressure was all but gone, even throwing Naruto around a training ground was still not enough to calm his nerves. The young Uchiha wanted nothing more than the Earth itself to swallow him whole and away from his past decisions.

Naruto basically yelled at him to _get his shit together,_ even warning the Uchiha of the previous conversation the pinkette had with him.

Sasuke fought the urge to scoff that the _blond idiot_ was giving him romantic advice when even he could not recognize the obvious regard a certain Hyūga had for him. But, given the situation, he took Naruto's guidance silently and knew he had to do _something_ about their pink-haired teammate.

There was no doubt in his mind – he had crossed a line with Sakura.

Not that he would concede this out-loud, but Sasuke had inwardly admitted his moment of weakness from the previous night at the clan gala. The incessant gossip and constant ambiguity surrounding his brother and Sakura drove him mad – pushing him to a point that he took drastic action to stake his claim.

He sighed, removing his outdoor shoes and walking further into the home, his mind stuck on the pinkette.

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to fix the situation, but unsure what he could really say or do without ruining their hard-earned friendship. There was no one he wanted more in his corner then Sakura – the loyal, passionate medic who now proved to be a necessity in his life.

"Sakura stopped by this morning." Mikoto mentioned from the kitchen, aimed toward her younger son.

Sasuke grunted in reply, taking the statement into his over-thinking mind once again. It was clear that Sakura was trying her hardest to reach out to him, to talk about it and move past. A small pang coursed through Sasuke, at the thought that she was going to try to simply forget the other night, like it was nothing more than a mistake and something she did not even want to be associated with.

His feet guided him into the kitchen, seeing his mother overseeing the servants handling their dinner while Itachi sat with a scroll in the dining room.

"Don't be rude to her." Mikoto continued, "It seemed like she really needed to talk to you."

Sasuke sighed deeply, eyes trailing over to his brother and instantly deflating. Both older Uchiha's observed this, but said nothing; allowing Sasuke to continue groveling all the way upstairs back to his room.

 _He would do anything not to lose her._

Later in the night, the aforementioned pinkette kept thinking back to their conversation, replaying Ino's honest questions while the dinner around her continued without her. Her family, along with the Namikaze's, were sitting comfortably in her childhood home over dinner the next day. While they enjoyed one of their last few dinners with complete families, Sakura could only smile and nod as she wondered just how she had gotten herself into this problem with the Uchiha's.

Only a few years ago, she would have _literally killed_ to become an Uchiha. And now, the thought had her cringing with insecurities. She loved her friends, but with so many unanswered questions how could she possibly come to her own conclusion? What if she was worrying about this _this_ much, but Itachi did not actually have serious interest in her? Sakura fought the urge to groan aloud and put her head in her hands.

Naruto nudged her knee sometime during dinner, teasing face gone when he spotted his close friend's inward distress.

"You alright, Sakura-chan?"

She offered a smile that even she knew was weak, before whispering back. "I'll tell you later."

And while those words were just to placate her blond teammate, she knew better than to expect him to simply drop it later into the night. Sakura knew that question would come up again when Team Kakashi had their team dinner at their aforementioned captain's house – _or sooner,_ if she truly knew her close friend.

Sakura left at the same time of the Namikaze's, late into the night where it could have easily been into the early morning, but the pinkette did not know. Kushina urged that they would meet Naruto at home, winking as she and her husband set off ahead and left the blond with his teammate.

"What's Konoha going to do without their favorite pink-haired doctor?" Naruto joked as he lightly pushed his shoulder against hers.

"You'll just have to learn to share me with Suna." Sakura grinned.

Naruto smiled back, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they walked side-by-side. The two allowed silence to reign for all of five seconds, before the blond turned to her and lowly muttered into the crisp night air.

"I'm really going to miss you, Sakura-chan."

"I'm going to miss you too, big ole Ramen-head." Sakura teased, gaining a scowl from him. Naruto tried to pair it with a small _noogie_ (and Sakura being shorter than him _definitely_ made it possible), but the fear of being chakra punched into the next year stopped him from lingering too long.

Reveling in the light hearted atmosphere, Sakura reciprocated Naruto's action and put an arm around his waist.

"Honestly, there's a small voice in the back of my head that's scared about my mission." Sakura paused, "There's a lot riding on it – enough money for Konoha to accept it now of all times and the weight of international relations."

Naruto nodded, listening to her candor as they traversed the silent street.

"It's a lot to take in, that Konoha trusts me with this much and that Suna actually wanted _me_." Sakura admitted, "But very humbling, all the same."

"We all knew that you'd grow into a great kunoichi." Naruto simply stated, leaning his head against hers in a friendly manner, "It's about time you accepted it."

Sakura chuckled lightly, "Thank you for that, Naruto."

And while Sakura would have preferred not to be away from her best-friend, one whom she was attached to the hip for the past year, she felt the weight on her chest lighten with his words. Naruto was not always the greatest speaker (apart from the occasional _talk-no-jutsu)_ and tended to toe the line with plain _stupid_ sometimes, but he was someone she held dear in her heart – no matter how many times she was moved to pummel him.

It was crazy to think that the same Naruto, only a few months ago, nudged her awake during a mission just to say, "Sakura-chan, all odd numbers have an 'e' in them."

Sakura simply muttered gibberish, before the blond poked her again.

"Naruto, its three in the morning."

Instead, he gasped and emphasized the number. "ThrEE."

"GO TO SLEEP!" She yelled back, damn to hell Kakashi and Sasuke who were sleeping soundly in their own tent.

This was the same Naruto who would drop nearly everything, _including children,_ at the possibility of ramen. The same Naruto who accidentally killed someone's pet fish and replaced it with a not-at-all identical animal cracker. The same Naruto who would lay his life down for his village and studied under a famed Sannin.

The same Naruto who loved her just as much as she loved him – who knew her better than almost anyone in the village.

Sakura turned toward the blond walking alongside her, grateful to have such a great friend after all these years. He mended their team back together by the seams, dragging it by his fingertips if he damn well had to. And while Naruto may never truly understand the depth of her appreciation and love, and there was no doubt that he would incite her anger again in the future, it did not stop how much he truly meant to her.

They walked the path until they hit the crossroads, one leading to his home by the Hokage tower while her apartment lay in the opposing direction.

"How about a drink, to celebrate the night?" Naruto offered, nodding his head one way.

Sakura lightly snorted. "This late?"

"Why? You have a bedtime, Sakura-chan?" He joked.

"More like I have every last day scheduled with Lady Tsunade and you know she'll have no issues punting me out a window."

Naruto grimaced in shared recognition, before turning to her with a wistful smile. "See you tomorrow then, Sakura-chan."

Sakura offered her own goodbye, sharing in a deep hug with her blond best-friend. There was nothing like the embrace from Naruto that could calm her nerves.

"Wait! Sakura-chan, can you do the thing?" Naruto called out, stopping in his walk home and causing the pinkette to halt as well and raise a brow.

"What thing?"

"The thing that never fails to make me happy."

Sakura felt an amused smile crack her questioning visage. "What?"

Naruto smiled back. "Thank you."

She rolled her eyes and smiled wider, waving one final goodbye at her friend as they both turned and went their respective ways.

There was no one quite like Naruto.

The crisp air felt light against her skin, a cool breeze flowing through her pink locks as she took the silent path home. There was so much about Konoha that made it her _home –_ her friends, family, just the community itself. She had seen many faces from her time in the hospital, grown to know her patients and the little eccentricities that her fellow ninjas had. She bled and fought for peace within these walls and to think that the Hokage entrusted such a mission to her– it was extremely telling of their faith in her toward the future of the village.

Sakura held her head high, mind now amusedly wondering just _what_ she should pack for the brutal Sunagakure sun.

There was no doubt in the pinkette's mind that she would be back in the presence of Sasori and his family. A part of her wondered, just briefly, if he would be surprised to see her in Suna. Previous experience dictated that he would either be indifferent or even out of village on his own mission, serving as an ANBU captain much like Itachi.

But there was something admittedly different about their relationship than in the past. Yes, he still called her a _brat_ and they had shared plenty of profanities at each other, but it was in jest rather than spite. And her last time there made it clear that she wanted to personally get to know him as a friend.

Sakura tucked the question back into the question of her mind as she entered her apartment, reasoning that the notion was crazy after all.

Her posture immediately stiffened at the familiar presence.

 _What was it about Sasuke ambushing her at home?_

"Sasuke, I have to get up for tomorrow in a few hours." She complained to open air, the silent Uchiha walking into the light of her living room.

A part of her laughed at the thought that Sasuke was sitting in the pitch-black corner of the room as a statement for his _angst-iness,_ but this was not the time nor place to verbalize that sarcastic joke.

Sakura paused at the counter, waiting for the young Uchiha to startexplaining why he was creeping around in the middle of the night _inside her apartment!_

He only stared at her with a plain expression, not a hint of anything breaking his visage.

It only incensed Sakura further.

"Sasuke, you have been running away from me non-stop and have no right to demand my attention, showing up at my apartment in the dead of the night." She exclaimed, volume in her voice increasing with every word as she was angered further.

He moved his gaze to the side for a second, before returning back to her with a new, resolute expression.

The pinkette raised a brow, expecting the action to be followed by _some words maybe!_ The silence of the night was a stark contrast to the indignant screaming within the kunoichi's mind. And after a whole minute passed, of both teammates simply looking at each other, Sakura had enough.

"Are you even serious, right now?" Her voice straining from the pure exasperation in her tone. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she pushed past her Uchiha teammate to walk into her kitchen.

Her rising anger was more than palpable to the both of them, her chakra sporadically intensifying with the looming threat that she was going to physically remove him from her home if he did not act quickly. Not wanting to hastily say something she would regret, Sakura tried taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. But that only translated to sucking in unsteady breaths as the pinkette paced.

She stopped at a counter, laying her palms flat against the surface in a physical signal that her mind was made up. "Sasuke, you aren't making any sense right now and –"

Her words were cut off again, when she felt the warmth of an embrace around her middle. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, his body placed behind her as his own head hovered over her own. Even though she had no means of escaping, having been trapped between his arms and the counter, Sakura was more confused than she was angry.

She felt the slight twitch in his right hand, another physical signal of his own unsurity. The clenching and unclenching of his fist was a stress relieving habit he had picked up from Kakashi-sensei and something he desired to do now.

"I'm sorry."

Her raging fury was slowly quelled, turning to concern and confusion as simply stood in his quiet grip. It was rare for Sasuke to initiate physical contact and even rarer for him to apologize. Unsure how to proceed, Sakura stood stone-still, waiting for him to continue.

Sasuke lowered his head against her own, feeling the soft breath graze against her hair. She fought the inward urge to shudder at the sensation, being in such close contact with the intense male. The last time they were in a similar position did not _exactly_ end well and there was no denying her stiff posture against the male.

Before the pinkette could fully question his statement, Sasuke continued. "I stepped out of line the other day."

Sakura took in his words, tapping on one of his arms to indicate he should loosen his hold. Wordlessly, her teammate followed and allowed her to turn in place between his strong arms.

She analyzed his intense gaze, dark and yet somehow clear, at least to her. He genuinely meant his previous words, tells of an apologetic appearance littering his face. Eyes rimmed with uncertainty, this was one of, if not the most, vulnerable she had seen Sasuke Uchiha. The one who was quick on his feet with sarcasm and lacked tact, the proud Uchiha was now on the opposite end of it all.

And that image, of her usually strong teammate, now looking unsure and innocent, made her heart squeeze in response.

The pinkette gave him a placating expression, taking silent notice of the way the edges of his lips quirked in a similar manner. Unlike his usual smirk, it seemed he was reacting to her positive visage. She lifted her hand, gentle caressing his cheek in a similar manner to how he did to her not long ago. Her Uchiha teammate leaned slightly into the touch, angling his head in its soft hold as his eyes never broke contact with her own.

"Let me in, Sasuke-kun." Sakura muttered in a low voice.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before opening them back. "I heard some things, and…"

"You went all 'Sasuke' and hide in your thoughts." Sakura continued for him, when it seemed he could not find the words. Her amused air did not seem to change his serious nature, however.

"You ask me to confide in you and then disappear?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

The deep inhale from was his nose was a silent testament to the patience the Uchiha was exerting, but Sakura let it fester for another few seconds. It was obvious that he was awaiting a serious response from her. But, truly, the pinkette was unsure what direction Sasuke even wanted to steer their relationship. Were they going to pretend that the either night did not happen entirely?

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

He paused, taking in another breathe before leaning forward to press his forehead against hers. Sakura felt her eyes widen comically, flashbacks to the other night suddenly before her eyes. But, unlike before, she was on high-alert for another possibility.

"I know it's selfish of me, but I've always thought of you as _mine._ " He emphasized the last word. "The foundation of our friendship, after all, was your love confession."

Sakura blinked, unsure where he was going with this.

"And it was because of your love that you pushed for me – to get to know me and withstand me." Sasuke explained, "I know I didn't deserve it, even more so now, and now I'm losing you."

She felt her heart sag, ready to say something to his defense as she put a careful hand on his cheek. "Sasuke, I may no longer be _in_ love with you. But don't ever forget that I will always love you."

Sasuke felt his heart swell in relief at her words, but let none of that rise to his outward appearance. Rather, he leaned in closer, "Thank you."

The close movement ghosted the air shared between them, just enough for Sakura to _feel_ every syllable.

Instead of pursuing further, Sasuke kept their intimate positions without any indicator of other movement. They shared the same breath, his usually stoic gaze now half-lidden as he stared into her emerald orbs.

"Don't worry Sasuke-kun, you'll always be one of my precious people." Sakura replied will a small smirk of her own, repeating the words that Sasuke had said before the whole ordeal.

He cracked a small _smile_ in response, glad to hear those teasing, and yet comforting words from one of the most important people in his life.

While Sakura had come to terms with the protective nature of _her_ boys, it was rare for them to truly need to be reassured of their relationship. She chalked this up to Naruto's loud nature, it was not often that they argued, but if they did – _hoo boy_ , did the gloves come off. But with Sasuke, it was more natural for the Uchiha to walk away and not address the issue while Sakura was resigned to do the same.

It was refreshing, to know that someone meant so much to you _and_ thought of you in equal likeness.

Which was why Sakura relished in the rare embrace of her quiet teammate – it was unlike him to need this reassurance. But she related to the feeling whole-heartedly, giving him the mental time to convince himself that she was here to stay. Maybe not exactly physically, but that he would always have a place in her heart.

 **xXxXxXxXx**

The thought of their usual team Dinner at Kakashi's later that night was looming over Sakura's head. She paced a second behind Lady Tsunade, the blonde walking briskly from the attending's lounge to her office as Chief of Medicine. Sakura's penmanship was loose and quick to keep up with her mentor's verbal directions, but definitely enough for her to recognize when read later.

The OR and rounds were second-nature to Sakura, but she wanted to ensure that every drop of possible knowledge she had while in the safety of Konoha's walls were able to be carried over to Suna. There was no point in having a good medic in a system that did not work and Sakura wanted to be prepared if necessary.

Sakura kept scribbling away, head bobbing in recognition and agreement as Tsunade dictated more, the two not pausing in their stride. Engrossed in her notes, the pinkette failed to see the fond smile her long-time mentor threw over her shoulder. From the feeble Genin to the now strong-willed Jōnin, Sakura had grown before her very eyes.

And when the pinkette was dismissed for the afternoon, Tsunade allowed her eyes to linger on Team Seven's only female member for a few more seconds, before a small smirk grew on her face and she walked on her way.

 _She's going to raise hell in Suna._

Sakura's shared office with Shizune was almost infamous for it's clutter. Only to the two medics was it really organized, able to identify stacks of books and folders within a second's gaze. But now, it seemed the whirlwind had only increased, Sakura's side now adorned with more notebooks, filled with information about the threatening poison. She wanted to copy and bring all of her research to Suna and also journalize it here in Konoha before she left – there was no doubt, much work needed to be done.

Jotting down various comments and organizing the notebook slightly neater, Sakura closed it with a content sigh. She loved her line of work and even more so what she could do for others, the fear of her future in Suna calming down to a confident thought.

But when she heard Naruto's voice boom down the hallway all the way to her office, the feelingsof _something_ crept up again.

Team Dinner.

Kakashi's.

She steeled her spine, pushing down her feelings of Kakashi, while finishing up her various thoughts on paper before the blond inevitably burst through her doors to drag her and guarantee with his eyes that she was going to be on time. Not that she was intentionally late in the past, it was just that viruses and diseases had no timetable and _sometimes_ she would lose track of the hours.

To see the young Namikaze burst through her door was expected, but the Uchiha trailing behind him was a surprise. Sakura shot a smile to the both of them, Naruto too enamored in the action to notice that Sasuke was sharing a similar grin back at her.

"Come on, Sakura-chan! We only have so much time before Gaara and them steal you away!"

The aforementioned pinkette rolled her eyes and stood to leave, having already took off her medical coat and draped it on the chair she was just occupying.

Various nurses and doctors nodded at the exiting trio, having been familiar with this scene many times in the past year or so. Some of the more instigating nurses whispered it was good for Sakura to get out (especially with _her absolute_ _ **snaccs**_ she called teammates. Not that they ever told her that, if they truly valued their lives).

"I don't need escorts to leave the hospital." Sakura teased her boys, walking between the two, as she crossed her arms.

"But how often will I get to after this week, Sakura-chan?" Naruto answered, trying hard to put on a pouting face.

Sakura chuckled at the expression before tapping his nose with her pointer finger, a small _boop_ that nullified his teasing appearance to that of surprise at the action.

They walked in a comfortable pace, familiarity in the lull in conversation.

Kakashi, while fully capable of decking out his bachelor pad, lived in a modest apartment closer to the edge of town. The use of doors and walkways were a moot point with the ex-ANBU sensei, leaving his window open for his eccentric team to enter.

Naruto plopped down into the apartment, lacking the quiet grace that both Sasuke and Sakura had as they entered. The pinkette turned to close the window after Sasuke moved in more.

"We're here, Kakashi-sensei!" The blond greeted as he walked further in, attention fully on the food. "Smells like ramen."

Sakura stifled a chuckle and glanced at Sasuke, the other not reacting to Naruto's comment. Rather, he was looking _at her,_ a small smile on his face as if he was duplicating her earlier mirth.

The pinkette fought the urge to blush at his unadulterated attention, having spent the entirety of the night before with the young Uchiha. Not that they were unchaste, nothing of that nature had happened, but they had spent the night cuddled together on her sofa.

Their warm embrace lasted _a long while,_ enough that the pinkette regretfully had to pull away from the Uchiha's rare action. But if she had not, Sakura feared they would still be standing there when she would have to start getting ready for the next day. At this point, it was beyond late for anyone to be out and she had no idea how long Sasuke had been waiting in her apartment.

She offered for him to stay the night, a feat that he had done before, but that was only ever with Naruto present as well. Even so, Sasuke nodded in agreement and silently regarded Sakura's inward argument with his own amusement.

Her eyes flickered to her bedroom door and the Uchiha had to stop her there, before she very well recommended something that _he_ was not ready for. Instead, he smirked and nudged his head in the direction of her living room.

And when Sakura awoke the next day, the two of them cramped onto just one of her couches, she smiled into his comforting warmth. She was basically splayed across his body, one of his arms around her waist as they slept. With the sepia rays of the morning sun filtering in the room, Sakura lightly nudged at his chest to wake him.

Sasuke cracked a single eye open, before closing it again and adjusting to firmly hold her against him.

Knowing that there was no way she could fight down the pink dusting on her cheeks, Sakura scrunched her expression in thought. There was no doubt that this was the rare appearance of _playful_ Sasuke. And, not that she would fight him, especially this early in the morning, she needed a plan to start the day. Putting an equally playful expression on, Sakura leaned her body against his lightly.

"Sasuke-kun." She whispered as she trailed a soft hand against his jaw.

He grabbed the appendage in his own, holding it against his lips as he responded. "Good morning, Sakura."

Sakura was stunned at how innocent and truly _raw_ Sasuke looked at that moment. She had spent plenty missions with Sasuke, but to wake up in his arms and see his handsome face first thing in the morning… His raspy, morning voice knocked the sound out of her own. Simply peering up at him in open surprise, taking in his unguarded expression as Sasuke just looked at _her_ with a playful expression _._ A smile, one that she continued to stare at, engraved itself into her memory.

A sleepy Sasuke, softly holding her hand against his lips, using his groggy morning voice to greet her at the start of their day.

And the fact that Sasuke was regarding her _now_ , with his full attention, she could not help but remember their intimate embrace only a few hours ago.

Sakura shook her head, as if to rid herself of these thoughts. Sasuke noticed, smirking at her reaction and almost prompting her to knock him on the head at his silent teasing.

Instead, Sakura motioned with the nudge of her head in the direction of the kitchen. "Come on."

While Kakashi had a secret knack for cooking, it was rare for him to ever truly use that skill. He would if in the mood or wanted to indulge his taste-buds for something different. There was one time that he had prepared yakitori for his team before, but that was proving to be a once in a lifetime experience.

And, today, the four were crowded around his cozy kitchen table with takeout from the stall near the market-district.

Not that anyone was complaining, in fact, Sakura eyed the plate of beef sukiyaki with predatory eyes.

The four gave a simple _'thanks'_ before digging into the sizeable meal. She sat across from Kakashi at the square table, her teammates at either side. The boys were quick with the meat, fighting for the largest piece _and of course_ making something as simple as this into a competition. Sakura smiled, taking a piece for herself quickly as she watched the scene unfold before her.

Naruto and Sasuke unendingly arguing. Kakashi, for once, without his nose in his book and watching with an exasperated smile.

These were her boys.

"I actually have some news for you guys, if you haven't heard yet." Sakura started.

Naruto grinned knowingly while the other two had questioning expressions.

"I was requested for a solo mission in Suna for a couple months. It's more diplomatic in nature –priority on helping improve their hospital's capabilities and, more specifically, their poisons department."

"Congratulations, Sakura." Kakashi commended, "You always were my favorite female student."

The pinkette snorted while Naruto added, "Sheyeah, right. With teme sitting right here?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes before turning to the pinkette with a light expression, almost considered a smile, "Congrats."

Sakura smiled back brightly, "Thank you."

Naruto stopped completely, at that. Shocked into even lowering his chopsticks and _stop eating_ of all things, the blond regarded his teammates with an obviously surprised expression. Blue eyes traveling between the two, he raised a brow in Sasuke's direction – to which the Uchiha ignored. When Naruto directed it toward Sakura, she blushed for a mere second before attempting to move on from the moment.

Naruto was not having it.

"What was that?!" He interrupted her attempted talk, looking toward Kakashi to weigh in as well. "Are you guys…?" Naruto trailed off, while wiggling his eyebrows.

"Stop being dumb, Naruto." Sakura countered, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

"Your pervert sensei has rubbed off on you." Sasuke replied.

"I'm not the only one who sees this, right Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Their young leader just looked at the two with a teasing smile, one that Sakura almost categorized as mischievous, but said nothing. Naruto, exasperated, threw his hands up in frustration then returned to his chopsticks to continue eating.

"Nonetheless, you've grown into a fine kunoichi." Kakashi redirected. "Be proud that you're one of the few nin from your generation to be recognized internationally."

 _Recognized internationally and yet you didn't recommend me?_

The pinkette thanked him for his words, attempting to hide her internal apprehension with a smile.

It never truly reached her eyes, however, Kakashi noted with his own manual smile.

"It was about _damn_ time." Naruto added, "As much as I want you here to myself, I know Gaara and them need you more now."

"Thanks, _Nard_."

Naruto rolled his eyes and continued, "That doesn't mean we won't visit! Besides, just you watch, when you come back we'll be _swole_ as hell, Sakura-chan." The blond continued as he pointed between both him and the Uchiha.

"Looking forward to a taijutsu spar when I get back then." Sakura commented with a wink, drinking her water as she said so.

Naruto froze in his spot, realizing his words.

"Now, now." Kakashi cut in, "Save the bloodshed until after you reunite."

"We didn't last time." Sakura muttered under her breath.

Sasuke's eyes slid to the pinkette, "And whose fault was that?"

Sakura bristled in response, rolling her eyes after – the movement almost recognized as a signature action from any member of Team Kakashi these days.

These were her boys, no doubt. Yes, they had their issues, but that was true of any team. There was always something, but the important point being that they always tried to move on together. And while Sakura, who would soon be the one to leave rather than any of the men on her team, it was on much more light-hearted terms than before.

Sakura watched her two boys grow in front of her very eyes, the complete absolute _boke_ that was Naruto, making a name for himself beyond just that of the Hokage's son. And Sasuke, while undoubtedly a rocky friendship, he was _trying._ And that made all the difference, as opposed from when they were kids.

"Now don't forget to get your daily dose of estrogen from somewhere." Sakura started teasing, with a smirk. "Maybe from your previous date at the clan gala?"

Naruto sputtered, "Pfft yeah, right! Hinata? Wanting to spend time with me?"

Sakura suddenly dropped her good-humored expression to that of a deadpanned one, turning to Kakashi and Sasuke. The silver-haired nin simply shrugged his shoulders and had a small, coy expression.

Sasuke shot her a similar look back, "Did you honestly expect anything else?"

"I was hoping something _more_." Sakura admitted.

"I fear the world may come to an end before that."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Is this some type of couple's inside joke I don't know about?"

Rolling their eyes again, Sakura lightly shook her head before meeting Sasuke's eyes from across her seat. He held them for a few seconds, a slight grin on his face, before turning back to his food.

While her issues with Sasuke were now thankfully ironed out, it was hard to sit here and pretend everything was fine when she wanted nothing more than to ask her mentor one simple question.

Sakura attempted to dig back into her food, her mind constantly wandering to the man she called her mentor all these years. Was her really? Even after all this time, he had yet to teach her a single jutsu. Was that honestly a fair title? Will Kakashi ever truly value her as a person, rather than that Sasuke-obsessed kid he first met?

With these thoughts in mind, it was difficult to contribute to the conversation and Sakura found herself lull into a silence. Sasuke and Naruto carried the conversation forward anyway, or at least, as much as one should believe they would.

When it was getting deeper into the night, and Team Seven had long overused their welcome, Sakura stood up first to leave. In her defense, it was more so about the fact that she had six-months worth of packing to do. As well as other preparations, such as alerting her landlord, that she had to fulfill before she could truly leave Konoha.

Sasuke followed suit immediately, saying nothing, but a quick nod towards Kakashi that signified he would be on his way out as well.

Naruto paused with a small frown, "You guys can't even be discreet huh? Right infront my salad?" He guestered two hands outward towards the empty table.

The Uchiha looked at him blankly while the pinkette rolled her eyes.

The blond finally cracked a smile before he got up as well, putting his arm on Kakashi's shoulder in good-bye as he trailed behind the two. Kakashi waved them away, heading back into his kitchen to dry off the dishes they had helped clean earlier.

The three of them clamored in the front area, door open as they changed back into their outdoor shoes. Sasuke walked out first, waiting for his teammates a little ways away. Naruto attempted to slickly comment - that _he'd never wait for just him, Sasuke's best friend!_ \- but before the sentence was even made, he earned a swift _knock_ to the top of his head.

Sakura lingered in the doorway, glancing back into the apartment for a single second, before looking forward at Sasuke.

The pinkette saw the corner of his lip twitch, before he flicked his head in the direction of the now quiet apartment. "Just go talk to him."

The hesitation was evident on her face, as she scrunched up her nose in quiet disapproval. Sasuke continued, "You never know how many chances you'll have left to clear the air."

She made a face at him, predictably, but he knew what Sakura was really trying to convey. Yes, it was rather ironic that _he_ was giving _her_ advice about not running away. But hey, he learned from his previous mistake, right?

"Fine, but only because your pretty face asked me to." She tapped him lightly on the nose, lightly using her pointer finger. "Lunch tomorrow?"

Instead of gracing her with a verbal response, Sasuke took an unnoticeable step closer. He still had that light expression, enough to convey that he was in a playful mood, but not something that could be evenly deemed as a smile.

With his pointer and index finger, Sasuke lightly tapped at the center of her forehead.

"Sounds like a date." He teased, holding her eyes for a few seconds. Before she could even begin to respond - not like she could, after all her expression could rival that of a squirrel hoarding acorns in its mouth - Sasuke had gently turned her around by her shoulders, back into Kakashi's apartment. "Go in."

Her feet moved her thoughtlessly, guided by the commanding and yet cool words that Sasuke had just whispered adjacent to her ears.

Sakura told herself that the goosebumps were not from her teammate's husky voice, but that of the fear and anxiety and finally addressing her senpai.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked in a dead voice, eyes narrowed toward his best-friend as they walked along the path. Sasuke said nothing, rather raising a single brow to the blond as the smirk on his face widened.

Naruto rolled his eyes, uncharacteristically quiet after the gesture. While past experience usually dictated that it would incite the blond, he remained quiet for the next few minutes. Pensive, even, Sasuke would describe.

However, the Uchiha said nothing to the brewing blond next to him. Whatever Naruto was thinking, he would address it. This was Naruto, after all, even though they were violent rivals, the blond was still his closest friend.

And yet… If Naruto held any objection to what he was witness to earlier, Sasuke would not relent.

The two were nearing the city square, toward the bustling downtown area of Konoha, where many restaurants and vendors were housed. And despite the noise around them, the two walked in eerie silence.

It was clear they had to break soon, living in opposite directions dictated that they would not be side-by-side all night, not like Sasuke would even allow the blond to follow him either.

At the intersection, Naruto stopped entirely, turning his body toward the young Uchiha. "You better not hurt her."

Sasuke paused, expression neutral. "I'll try not to."

"Try harder."

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes, as he usually did around the blond, since the conversation seemed to hold more weight than intended. Instead, he nodded in affirmation.

That broke Naruto's serious visage, cracking a small smile and saying, "Still got time for me to kick your ass?"

Meanwhile, their pink-haired teammate was able to flush down her previous blush, mind now focused on the task at hand. She walked further into the apartment, one that was just filled to the brim with the sounds of her teammates rendered completely silent, apart from the occasional bustle outside.

Kakashi was still at the kitchen counter they had left him at before. This time, however, she noticed there was only one plate left in the stack before he would have finished putting away all of his newly washed kitchenware.

He did not even bother turning around, "Something wrong, Sakura?"

She stood there, unsure how to even put into words how she felt after all this time. How does one convey to their mentor, one of the people she respects so much, a problem that has listed their entire relationship? Kakashi had been the reason behind various emotions over the past few weeks alone - unadulterated anger, pure anguish, and just an overall hit to her self-esteem.

How could she even begin to talk about this with him? Would their relationship survive this?

Trapped in her thoughts, Sakura failed to notice that Kakashi had put the plate back down on the counter. He was faced towards her entirely, leaning his back against the marble.

"I can't just keep pretending everything is okay or leave with the way I'm feeling. I'm sorry if what I say doesn't come out the way I want to convey it." She started, "But, why was I _never enough_?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know a lot of ya'll have been waiting for this moment ;)**

 **Gaara, in this timeline.. ya'll Im not great at angsty characters. I always tend to add a bit of sass. (I think he'll be a little bit more open, since he has his cousin Sasori ;))**

 **ALSO, I know the major reason Boruto has a lot of technology is because in times of peace - people survive. I know, ground-breaking right? As in civilians who would otherwise die in war, get to innovate.**

 **So IMMA leave technology a bit more ambiguous and a boruto-type of mix**

 **xXxXxXxXxXx**

Kakashi stared at her with a neutral expression, saying nothing as if _he_ were the one demanding answers, his strong look basically urging her to continue.

And while this was the infamous copy-ninja, whose mere appearance was enough to make some flee on sight, Sakura wanted nothing more than to absolutely pummel the truth out of him. His silent gaze, normally regarded as cool and intimidating, was doing nothing more than infuriate the pinkette further.

Attempting to tamper down her anger, Sakura bit-out carefully, "Are you not going to say anything?"

"I will, once you've made your peace." Kakashi responded, arms crossed as he leaned his back against the kitchen counter. "What has really been bothering you?"

Sakura held in a breath, gleaning what Kakashi was really trying to say:

 _Don't hold back._

It made her immediately see red - the cautious dam that held their connection seemingly bursting all at once.

She almost wanted to question his audacity - _how dare him,_ really. It seemed, to Sakura at least, that Kakashi was silently beckoning her to continue, as if _she_ was the one in the wrong. As if her sudden verbal assault was not somehow warranted from something _he_ had done.

Her guarded and carefully chosen words flew out the window.

She nearly yelled right in his face.

"There's no way _you_ of all people hadn't noticed what's been going on for our entire relationship!" Sakura blew up, "You've been my mentor for how long? You've seen me go from boy-crazy to Lady Tsunade's apprentice and yet you still treat me like that little girl from the first bell test!"

Sakura took a step closer, a hand on her heart as if to physically calm her.

"The fact of the matter is that you were my first mentor - the first _person_ that I ever truly respected." Guestering an upturned hand in his direction, "And you never tried to see me as I am, more than the girl you first met."

The pinkette felt her voice waver, "And I just… Why?"

Sakura felt herself clench and unclench her fists, as if the motion was helping mentally grasp at the words she had been sitting on for years.

And while she wanted nothing more than to release the anger she had been withholding seemingly this _entire_ time - what Sakura wanted more than anything else was simply answers.

"I tried so hard to push past what people expected of me - of just the little girl who was lucky enough to be paired with powerful teammates - the one who always needed to be protected." Sakura felt a hitch in her throat, constricting words here and there, "So how come it was just never enough for you?"

She saw his eyes crinkle, a soft expression on his face before he grabbed her arm and forced her beneath his chin.

"And why do you think that?" He asked, one arm around her shoulders as her hands stayed between the two of them.

She paused, eyes averted, the slight tendrils of anger flaring as he tried to comfort her - she was not a child, she did not need him to coddle her.

However, Sakura did not fight out of his hold, and instead continued. "I don't know. Maybe it's because you've been my mentor for over a decade and you haven't ever bothered to teach me a single jutsu. Or better yet, after everything that's happened, you didn't even bother to recommend me."

She tried to end her tirade with pointed, biting words. But Sakura felt as if her heart was stuttering, making her words come out choked and her eyes quickly glossed over with unshed tears.

"And who said I didn't recommend you?"

"You - what?"

"I presented my recommendation for you when we first got back from Suna." Kakashi stated.

Sakura paused, recounting the past few weeks and where this really fostered from. "Wait, but Lady Tsunade…"

"Her connection to a certain someone may have pushed the process along faster." He rebuked not unkindly, "The Hokage should still have a notarized copy, if you don't believe me."

"You recommended me…" She stated wistfully, as if saying out loud would convince her of the truth.

Kakashi silently nodded, very slight, as if he was unsure if he was simply validating her thoughts.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Her voice wavered more obviously.

"Was it necessary? I was present during the official meeting."

"Oh, right." Sakura let the casual vernacular slip out, as if her mind was listening to the reasoning, but her heart was still ready to fight. Not wanting to possibly permanently damage their relationship, Sakura started. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to misunderstand-"

"Or perhaps it was the last straw, that moved you to action." Kakashi interrupted.

Sakura held her breath, moving her gaze up to her long-time mentor.

"You are right. For years, I favored both Naruto and Sasuke - the Hokage's son and a main-house Uchiha. They were prodigies on paper and so I let that motivate my priorities." Kakashi explained calmly, eyes never leaving her own.

It felt as if her heart stopped, like she was dreaming the words that she had constantly wished to her from her mentor.

"Your past is not your potential, Sakura." Kakashi continued, "I've recognized that and I am sorry for not voicing how truly proud of you I am."

Sakura sniffed, unable to react to words she waited _years to hear,_ "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

She stayed leaned against him, curled under his chin as his hands rested familiarly at her waist. And while this particular position was not something they did often, or ever really, Sakura still felt comfortable under the reassuring hold of her sensei.

This moment of true intimacy, of finally closing an emotional chapter of their relationship, it was hard but necessary.

"You didn't need me to say it out-loud, for it to be true." Kakashi drew her out of her thoughts.

"You know I look up to you, anyway."

"Is it because you're so short?"

Sakura cracked a smile, his teasing words showing he was trying to release tension as they made amends.

She still punched him in the stomach.

While her punch was not chakra-laced, she still made a point of putting some strength into it.

"Oof, there she is." Kakashi teased with a quirked smile, now patting the top of her head with the hand he had around her before. "My favorite kunoichi."

Smile growing on her face, "That's a bold statement."

"You don't believe me?" Kakashi asked, a gentle hand wiping away some of her stray tears.

"I don't know." She teased, "I'm going to need some proof."

"That, I can do." Kakashi answered, pulling the kunoichi back into a silent hug.

It was rare for her mentor, much like her Uchiha friend, to need this type of affection. And to the pinkette's recollection, she could not remember the last time Kakashi had ever really needed to be affirmed in this way.

Nonetheless, she was grateful for her first teacher.

 **xXxXxXx**

And while she loved Team Kakashi with almost her whole heart, despite their years spent apart and 'simple spars' that resulted in missing teeth, no one could really steal her away from her best friends.

While Sakura would have preferred to have their last-minute sleepover _literally anywhere else_ than her apartment, the girls had insisted that it be held there before it was left unattended for the next few months. A reverse christening, Ino had dubbed it.

Hinata sat on the floor, back against the couch between Ino's legs as the blonde continued to braid the long hair. Tenten was laid across a spot on the floor, absently flipping through a magazine.

"I'm jealous, you're going to come back all tan and caramel-skinned while the best we'll have is sun exposure off the snow." Ino commented.

"You can always visit me." Sakura retorted from her spot on the floor, organizing a box of her stuff that was meant to ship ahead of her travel.

"I doubt she'd want to spend even _a minute_ away now that Sasuke is free real estate." Tenten joked.

Sakura scoffed, "Good luck with that."

Ino looked offended, "As if I would try anything with him! Looks can only count for so much."

"But for you, I would say about 95% at least." Tenten quipped. "Or are you saying you're not particularly into the tall, dark, and handsome look?"

Ino waved off the question, one hand in the air as if to physically push the thought away. "Why even bother when it's clear both Uchiha boys are completely enamored with something pink?"

Sakura shrugged off her words, teasing regarding the two Uchiha boys was common these days.

"Of course, why would she do that when she'll have all that time with Shikamaru." The pinkette teased.

"Ugh, don't even joke about my brother from another mother like that." Ino scoffed, pushing her long ponytail behind her shoulder in a sassy expression.

"Besides, Temari might kill her." Tenten pitched in.

The blond smiled, continuing to braid the Hyūga's hair as a silence descended on their previously animated conversation.

It was clear to the four women that their times like this, of amused banter and bonding, would be on a temporary hiatus with one of their key members. The seriousness of one of their final nights together was slowly creeping on each woman, the clock ticking away each un-regainable second.

Ino, for one, felt her smile drop as she turned to the pinkette in a more serious expression.

"I'll be honest, it'll probably get real quiet around here with you gone." Ino stated, guestering toward her best friend. "Let's be real here - the biggest scoops these days have all been revolving around you."

"It's true." The brunette shrugged in agreement.

"Will the first Jōnin kunoichi of her class pick either main house Uchiha boy?" Ino recited like a headline.

"Or is there more competition across the desert?" Tenten added with a quirked, teasing brow.

"And it goes beyond that of the boys, of course." Ino added.

"Many are quite enamored that Lady Tsunade's apprentice has been specially requested internationally." Hinata added.

Sakura shook her head, aware of the many tidbits of gossip that tended to revolve around her these days.

"I'm just saying - just be a little cautious in Suna. Just because you're there, doesn't mean that the words here won't be following you." Ino warned.

"I'll try not to get attacked by rabid fangirls and old nosy ladies in my time away." Sakura teased, putting in another one of her more favorable Tupperware into an already packed box.

Ino rolled her eyes, "Just come back in one piece, forehead."

"I'll try my best."

"If not, we'll make sure our joint nagging will never escape that thick skull of yours."

Sakura put down the box and regarded her friend more seriously, "I promise."

Ino, momentarily sated at her best friend's words, turned back to her previous job of braiding.

"Anyway, while I'm away, I'm sure Naruto is going to need his daily dose of estrogen from somewhere." Sakura joked, looking at the Hyūga heiress.

"And we happen to know the perfect person." Ino added, lightly tapping Hinata at the top of her head.

The heiress just tightened her smile, distant feelings of resentment creeping towards the pinkette. And while her words and recent actions certainly proved Sakura was on her side, Hinata just could not place the feeling in her heart that something was missing.

And this was not where she wanted to leave her relationship with the pinkette, since she feared the feeling would go unresolved if not addressed before Sakura left.

Hinata's eyes were trained on the medic, from her unique tuft of hair to the striking emerald eyes that could be both beautiful and savage. There was no wonder why many of the shinobi were interested in her...

Hinata felt Ino's legs move past her shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie. "Alright, the pizza should be done by now. See you guys in a bit!"

Ino and Tenten moved to put their outdoor shoes on, then exited the house to get their coveted meal.

Hinata sat-up against the couch, lips in a taut position as she silently regarded the pinkette. Sakura was mostly done packing her essentials, it was just a matter of making it fit and safe to travel the journey to Suna.

And while it would have been easy, almost _too easy,_ to sweep her feelings under the rug - Hinata wanted to clear the air. She almost felt like she was betraying the pinkette's trust, since she was withholding very strong, negative feelings toward someone she viewed as her one of her closest friends.

"Sakura-chan, can I talk to you about something?"

The aforementioned kunoichi was deliberating over her frying pan, but quickly set it down with a smile. "What's up?"

Hinata hesitated, wanting to articulate clearly how she has been feeling for _months,_ and decided the best course of action was to simply be honest.

"Have you ever had feelings for Naruto?"

Sakura tilted her head in question, hands sat against the tile of her kitchen counter. "I mean, I love Naruto. But, in a way that he's been both the younger and older brother that I never had. I know if it ever came down to it, we'd protect each other with our lives."

"Right." Hinata replied, after a beat of silence. "He's your best friend."

"My _male_ best friend, otherwise Ino would literally kill him." Sakura joked.

Hinata could not help but cracking a smile at that (since it was true tbh). "You keep him close, despite everything so far."

Sakura raised a brow at her phrasing, "Hinata, what is this about?"

 _Was she truly this unaware?_ Hinata inwardly questioned.

Or rather, this was the statement the Hyūga was fearing all along. Sakura had only ever viewed Naruto on a platonic level, Hinata was confident now. But, if made aware of Naruto's affections, would her feelings toward the blond change? While she would love nothing more than for Naruto to finally notice _her_ , it would do no good to prolong this conversation.

Who was she to stop Sakura? To stop Naruto from being happily in love with his childhood friend?

"Naruto has been in love with you since we were kids." Hinata stated.

And while the Hyūga must have imagined this conversation almost a dozen times, such as the pinkette suddenly in a romanticized epiphany, the pinkette had reacted in one way she did not expect.

Sakura started laughing.

"Yeah, right!" Sakura replied, a hand on her chest to stop her sudden laughter. "You're telling me that Naruto, the same Naruto who asked me to pay for _his_ meal on _my_ last birthday, is still in love with me?"

Hinata frowned, but nodded.

Sakura walked around the counter and put comforting hands on Hinata's shoulders, "Even if that's true, that doesn't change how I feel. I'm not in love with him, I can assure you."

Hinata could not help but ask, "May I ask why not?"

"Because at this point, he's family." Sakura stated, "I love my civilians parents, but they'll never truly understood our lifestyles. But Naruto, and all of Team Seven, they're my second family. They haven't always been there, and believe me we're far from perfect, but that doesn't change what they are in my heart."

Hinata nodded slowly, "I understand."

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan." Sakura continued, "I've been rooting for you the entire time!"

Hinata felt her smile widen, a sudden relief taking over in both her shoulders and her heart. As cliché as it may seem, she could finally sit and speak to the pinkette without the lingering thought of _Naruto_ and _what if's_ in the background.

"Thank you."

Sakura smiled back, taking the Hyūga's hand in her own and squeezing it slightly in comfort. "Don't worry about it."

Hinata could not help but continue to chime in, "I can see why even the coldest shinobi gravitate toward you."

The pinkette let go of her hand and walked back around the counter, rolling her eyes as she went. "Not you too."

"I'm being serious." Hinata replied, smile slowly becoming a smirk. It was ultimately rare for her vernacular to switch to that of a casual tone, but in the company of her close friend, she did not see an issue of why not.

And even more so now - that she had finally cleared the air with the pinkette.

Hinata may not have been as close to Sakura as neither Ino nor Naruto, but she still viewed her closest friend to be the pinkette. They understood each other on other levels - such as intellectually and overall in personality. And while Hinata did not confide in her all the time, it was not like she did that with anyone really.

Sakura was a kind soul to her introverted-heart.

And Hinata was glad that she could finally say that her heart was at peace.

 **xXxXxXx**

Looking at budgets and examining the hospital hierarchy was not something usually on Sakura's to-do list. But when Lady Tsunade had highlighted _her own_ grievances and observations the last time she was in Suna, this was one of the many things she brought to Sakura's attention.

It was rare for the Sannin to be commissioned out of the village, even for a mission. But a nearby deadly outbreak that put hundreds of peoples' lives on a timer, it had warranted her immediate attention. And she, along with Shino and Rin, had stopped into the civilian village over six months ago. Suna's hospital was housing those infected, since it was the nearest Great Shinobi Country, but it was clear that it could quickly become worse if not for her intervention.

Her mentor doubted that their issues had improved and instead believed that it had gotten worse, if the request of Konoha's help was any indicator. If Lady Tsunade had to pin-point it to one thing - she was was not saying it outright.

It felt like another one of her tests, Sakura mused with a smile.

And now the single journal of notes Sakura had been taken over the past few days had tripled into multiple journals - now organized to contain one for specific advanced medical practices, one dedicated to the poison she was primarily assigned to neutralize, and one for administrative procedures.

Finishing up her last note, Sakura glanced at the clock and rushed out the window right after.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." The pinkette greeted as she pulled up a chair, Itachi at the other side as he put-down the menu. "Can't exactly escape the clutches of Tsunade when she's my only lifeline."

Itachi offered her a kind expression, "I understand. You must be one of the busiest people in the entire village this week."

"I don't know how I feel about that, coming from _the_ ANBU captain." She retorted with a smirk, before dropping her gaze down to the menu.

"I'm appreciative you reserved some of your time for me this week." Itachi replied back, the pinkette's head snapping up to his face just from his words.

Sakura knew she was staring at him, but did not attempt to really hide it anyway. He was always doing stuff like this - his words boarding that of flirting, but never fully crossing the line. It made her mind toss in every direction, to read into his every word as if there was something there to hold onto. But was there truly something? And why had he not been up front about it to her - if there truly was?

Was this a game to him?

Sakura silently wondered this, dropping her gaze down to her menu when Itachi looked up to question her serious gaze.

And while she would usually brush his behavior off as her socially-awkward captain who had incredibly limited interaction with females outside his immediate family or teammates, a part of her grew particularly annoyed.

There was no doubt that the _Itachi Uchiha,_ child prodigy and member of ANBU before most kids even graduate from the Academy, was aware of the gossip that constantly surrounded the two. He must have, _absolutely must have known_ just what people both in and out of his clan were implicating about their relationship. From Shisui's teasing words to simple interactions with other villages - it would be more surprising if he did _not_ know.

What really bothered Sakura was why had he never addressed it _with her?_

Let's say that what everyone was gossiping about was, in fact - true, Sakura thought the day before. Even if it were true, that Itachi was interested in her and, in his own way, was actively pursuing her - she would be undoubtedly annoyed. His mannerisms were dodgey and unclear, to the point that she wondered if he was even aware of how implicating his affections were. And Sakura honestly did not want a partner that could not be outright with her, no matter how handsome he is.

A part of her wanted to clear the air - to finally categorize where Itachi fit in her life.

The pinkette felt the weight of the sudden shift in conversation, her aura much more serious than that of even a minute ago.

"Is something wrong?" He commented, glancing at her.

Sakura held her pensive face for a second, before looking back up at him with a neutral expression. The lie sat on her tongue, "Just nervous about being away from home and these sudden expectations."

Itachi regarded her kindly, saying, "You have always been upheld as Tsunade's apprentice - it is only now you are feeling the weight. You have already proven yourself internationally, no doubt."

"Thanks." She attempted a meek smile, clipping her reply short as the waiter approached.

He took both of their orders and went away, the silent lull in their conversation evident to both participants of the evening.

Cursing her rudeness during, what she guessed may be their last private moment together for the year, Sakura continued. "It's usually the diplomatic in-nature missions that seem to be more exhausting. And I know how politically loaded this one will be."

"Of course." Itachi replied, "But the Hokage is right in trusting you."

Sakura smiled at his compliment - it seemed he was so light on his words these days. He regarded her kindly and with words of commendation, a direct contrast to how they were even a year ago. Itachi was often the one to kick her around a training field. Yes, he had always been cordial and her captain, but what had changed?

Was he tip-toeing around her? What is even the point of doing that?

"I guess, most of all, I'm going to miss everyone here." She admitted before taking a sip of her hot tea.

"And you will be missed as well." Itachi replied, mirroring her actions. "However, Konoha needs you more."

Sakura cracked a smirk, "That's exactly what Lord Minato said to me when he handed me the scroll."

Itachi said nothing in response, regarding her neutrally as he turned his gaze and scanned the restaurant.

"I'm more worried about my idiots I call teammates." Sakura joked. "They may die from lack of estrogen or very well kill each other."

The pinkette watched the small quirk of amusement at the corner of his lips. Before he could say anything, the waiter had returned with their orders and commenced with their meal.

Sakura said nothing, watching the Uchiha prodigy even _eat_ with perfect grace. His movements were exact, nothing lacking as he brought the food to his lips with his chopsticks.

Their conversation from there forward was light - revolving around what Lady Tsunade was teaching her about the hospital administrations and other things concerning her soon departure. It was strangely like small-talk, not that she would say that to the Uchiha, who often avoided that very notion.

Itachi extended his kindness, paying for both their meals when finished. She was not surprised when he fell into step next to her, intent obviously on walking her home tonight.

Her heart almost stopped when she felt his hand brush her own.

This was _Itachi Uchiha -_ perfect in everything. And yet he had just _somehow_ stepped too close to her and brushed her skin with his own. Was she reading too into this? Was this really what was happening?

She would have loved nothing more than to suddenly spring all those questions on him - but Sakura was not sure how her heart could take either answer.

And she decided that for this situation of fight or flight, she would rather do the latter.

Itachi stopped at her doorstep, turning to fully face her as he towered in height over the pinkette. She knew this tell as his silent beckoning for her full attention.

"I look forward to your return, please be safe in your travels." Itachi spoke with a soft expression.

She stayed silent, even when she felt the familiar two-finger poke on the forehead that he had done previously to her the night of the gala.

The moment was so strangely intimate, Sakura could not help herself anymore.

"What does this really mean, Itachi?" She paused, a knot growing in her throat. "Are we just friends?"

Itachi still had his poker-face on, not a single expression rising to his perfect visage. "Do you truly believe that?"

Sakura let out an exasperated huff.

" _Please,_ just be honest with me." Her voice was almost pleading, "I don't want to leave, not seeing you until _next year_ of all things, hoping in something that may not even exist."

His silence was glaringly obvious, enough so that Sakura could almost _feel_ herself choke out a half-cry. She nodded her head in disagreement, head faced toward the ground as she frowned.

"Sakura." Itachi started, a hand on her chin to lift her eyes to his own.

Before she could say anything, she felt the telltale pressure of his silky lips on her skin again, on her forehead once more.

The pinkette wanted nothing more than explode out her feelings and just general _exasperation -_

But instead withheld it.

If Itachi was not going to be fully honest with her, she would not allow it to continue to bother her.

They were adults - this was not the time to be playing games.

"Goodnight and goodbye, Itachi." She whispered out, quickly entering her apartment without regard to if he had anything else to say.

Sakura leaned her back against the door. And if Itachi was still out there, he would have definitely heard her.

He had strung her along these past few weeks, strange actions that were just _not okay_ for friends. The teasing from his family and village gossip should have been enough for him to address the issue.

And if not that - what of her nearly _begging_ him to give her a clear answer?

Not one to be strung along, Sakura resolved to not allow Itachi invade her mind while she was away.

But how could she possibly do that, when even in her anger all she could recall of Itachi was the softness of his lips against her skin?

The pinkette slapped both palms to her forehead, sighing loudly as she slid down to the wooden floor.

 **xXxXxXx**

The apartment that housed her the moment she left her parents' home lay quiet, the early morning filled with complete silence.

Since Sakura was leaving for Konoha-related reasons, the village had offered to pay her rent while she was gone. For that she was grateful, not losing the apartment she preferred for years.

Her furniture was protected in vacuum-covers, major valuables and documents logged into the Konoha Prominent Safe, and necessities sent ahead of time to Suna.

Sakura was due to leave Konoha within the hour, early enough that it was before the sun would rise over the village hidden in the leaves.

Taking one sweeping look as she secured her single backpack, Sakura headed toward the door where she already felt Naruto and Sasuke's presence.

The pinkette had spent her final night at her blonde best friends', the two bickering and bonding. While distance would separate them physically, it meant nothing for their bond of friendship. Ino had gifted her some smaller, personal gifts - emphasizing one particularly showy black dress with a matching set of underwear, _just in case, y'know._

"Who knows, maybe your red-head prefers you wearing something that matches closer to his hair color?" She teased after, earning a pillowcase to the face.

That morning, Lady Tsunade gave her a journal - a copy of _her_ personal notes on the current Konoha hierarchy. And when Sakura had questioned why she had only received this _now,_ she received no reply from her mentor.

And while Sakura would have preferred to get in one last spar with her mentor - the two of them were simply too busy to pencil it into their schedules.

"Next time, Sakura." Lady Tsunade had said, in a rather uncharacteristically soft tone.

Dare she say that Tsunade was shooting her a fond look then - but it was quickly squashed when the blonde turned and dismissed Sakura one last time for the year.

Sakura locked the door behind her, Naruto shooting her a wistful smile as he saw her.

 _Of course_ the blond had insisted in one last ramen meal as Team Seven before Sakura departed (especially since Ino had hogged her the day prior, he grumbled). The pinkette smiled at both of them, linking her arms between theirs as she walked between the two strong-willed males.

Sasuke said nothing, not outwardly grumbling at the physical action as he previously would have. Instead, he had muttered a small _good morning_ and went along with his teammates.

Their meal was mostly silent, the ramen-stand strangely open to accommodate the team that was almost always present every day. Sakura silently wondered if the blond, or even his father, had a hand in this development.

Naruto paused in his eating, putting down his chopsticks and turning to the pinkette with a small grin. He regarded her seriously, causing the pinkette to turn to him curiously.

His bright cerulean eyes stared right into her own, "I love you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura shot back a radiant smile, "I love you too, Naruto!"

To her confusion, the blond just sighed as his smile slipped. He looked down before returning her gaze, "I know, Sakura-chan."

The pinkette shook her head and put a hand on top of his as she asked, "What's wrong?"

Naruto turned over his hand to hold hers. He put a smile back on his face as he lied, "Nothing. Just going to miss you."

Sakura squeezed their joined hands and returned back the phrase to the blond, before finishing up her meal.

No one said anything when it was time to leave - simply rising from their seats in silence as they made their way to the village gates.

Kakashi was already there, leaning against a pole as his attention was on the book in hand. There was no doubt that he was waiting for them, making Sakura wonder just how long he was standing there to be considered truly nonchalant.

Her sensei pocketed the book the moment they were close, walking over to her and stating. "See you soon, Sakura."

She smiled back, reassuring him that she will miss him, to which she watched his visible eye crinkle in small agreement.

Sakura turned to the blond next, who did not hesitate in lifting her into a hug. The pinkette felt her feet depart from the ground, the blond using his higher height and overall strength to raise her fully in his arms.

"I'll miss you so much, Sakura-chan." He said as he put her back down, hands still around her waist.

She replied, lightly patting his cheek in a friendly manner. "I'll be back before you know it."

The pinkette regarded Sasuke last, the Uchiha had his hands in his pocket as if still attempting to look _cool_ and _detached_ from their unusually emotional display.

So it was to her surprise when one of his arms shot out to pull her into a hug.

While it was not as powerful and as prolonged as Naruto's, Sakura cherished the surprisingly gentle feel of Sasuke's arms around her body.

"Come back safe."

Sakura smiled, "Of course, Sasuke-kun."

She backed away, waving at the boys before walking over to the guards' booth to check-out of the village. The guards silently processed her paperwork, the pinkette backing out of the village as she kept waving at the boys.

Sakura took in one last breath, before turning away from the village gates and breaking out into a run.

Just at the edge of the foliage, right when she was going to lose sight of the gates, she noticed that her boys were still standing there, waiting until the very last moment they would see her.

Sakura had to fight off the single tear she felt rising to the surface, suddenly overwhelmed by the love her team was so willing to give her.

 **xXxXxXx**

While Sakura would have liked nothing more than to curse out at the stretch of sand she could see for _literal miles,_ she wanted to start off her long-term stay in Suna on a good note. (Which could not be done if she was cursing about every which way). But it was hard to maintain her composure as the blazing sun continued to beat down unnaturally on her pale skin. It was drawing closer to late afternoon, but even then the sun did not relent.

The last time she was here, Sakura was accompanied by her team side-by-side. And now, here she stood, alone on the other side of the massive wall filled with strangers. While by no means did she know everyone in Konoha, it was still the place she called home. The vendors who sold her groceries, the civilians who came through the hospital doors - she felt connected to all of them somehow.

And in Suna, she recognized a handful of people by face, not even by name.

The guards at the entrance were warned beforehand of her arrival, instructing her that they were awaiting her presence in the Kazekage's chamber. Just hearing the office referenced like that was so formal, so strange. This was not Naruto's dad, this was the fame Third Kazekage, rumored to be the most powerful of all its village leaders.

Not wanting to be late, she hopped across sandy roofs to the highest building in the village. She was directed through the hallways without question, not a single person raising an issue, but also no one stopping to greet her either.

The assistant was away from their desk, leaving Sakura no audience as she steeled her spine right outside the Kazekage's door. Taking one final, deep sigh, she knocked lightly enough to be heard, but not enough to interrupt the four others she could sense on the opposite side of the wood.

"Rasa-san, it is a pleasure to see you again." Sakura greeted the one who opened the door for her, "Kazekage-sama."

"A pleasure, indeed." Rasa replied.

The Third gestured in front of him, silently inviting her to take a step into the office space. The pinkette noticed the two mops of red hair, adorned in classic Suna Jōnin regalia.

Sasori straightened up at her arrival, previously bent over the Kazekage's desk as he discussed whatever scroll was splayed out over the side. Gaara, previously crossing his arms, stood at attention and moved to stand in front of the desk in greeting.

"Konoha sent us a message earlier this week." The Third greeted, "I hope you had safe travels on your way here."

"Other than the sand threatening to swallow me up whole, it was a pretty normal journey." Sakura joked, "But thank you for asking."

"I am sure you have plenty of questions regarding your mission here in Suna. I must thank you again for your willingness to come here during mutually trying times."

"You are an ally in need, that's all that matters." Sakura responded, prompting a small smirk from Sasori that she dutifully ignored.

"I won't overwhelm you now on your first night here." The Third stated not unkindly. He reached into a drawer, pulling out a scroll and handing it to her. She was so used to Minato playfully tossing it to her or Tsunade using scrolls like weapons - it was a calming change. "Inside, you'll see details for the apartment we've supplied for you and other components about your stay here. Tomorrow morning, you're scheduled to meet with the Chief of Medicine."

Sakura took the scroll and pocketed it, "Thank you."

"Sasori, why don't you show her the way. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow." The Third inclined his head. And while Sakura expected a snarky response in return, the redhead simply walked past her and out the door, probably assuming she would follow. The Third sighed loudly, before a small smile grew at the corner of his face. "Don't mind him."

Sakura smiled back, "Believe me, I'm used to it by now."

The pinkette turned to catch-up to her friend _(rival?),_ unknowing of the Kazekage's fond smile and Rasa's smirk.

She basically sprinted across the hall and jumped halfway down the stairs - how _the hell_ did he cover that much ground when he was _only walking?_ She mused. But thankfully, there was no missing that striking mop of hair on the sepia background. When she deemed him close enough, she took the pocketed scroll and whipped it, straight at his head.

Unfortunately, at least in her eyes, he moved slightly to the side and grabbed it with a single hand, hovering only slightly over his shoulder where his head _once was._

"How mature of you, _brat_." He stated, turning towards Sakura then.

"That's all the greeting I get?" She asked as she rolled her eyes. The pinkette tried to walk past him, but Sasori fell into step alongside her.

"Hi." He said in a clipped tone, "What are you doing here alone?"

"A real bowl of sunshine, you are." Sakura sarcastically praised, " _Your_ village petitioned for me to come here."

"Wait." Sasori started, eyes narrowed, in her direction, to signify he was thinking something over. "My uncle said we asked Konoha to help strengthen our hospital. I assumed we were getting a team."

"Honestly, I would've thought the same thing." Sakura replied, "But, no. They asked just for me personally."

Sasori took a _good look_ at her, straight in the eyes and blank as ever, before turning away to open the door to the entrance-way, "I see why. We would want the best and you only fall short to your mentor."

Sakura stopped at his words, Sasori furiously trying to keep his sheepish expression away from the pinkette as he exited the building and kept walking without her. She felt her smile grow before chasing behind him.

The heavy air of the outside covered her like a full cowl, but Sakura continued until she could push at the redhead's back. "Look at you, turning into such a softie these days."

Sasori rolled his eyes, but said nothing. He inclined the scroll in her direction and she nodded, silently allowing him to open it and read.

His eyes quickly ran over the first few lines until he nudged his head in a direction, "Come on, your residence is this way."

"Thanks again."

"The Kazekage instructed me to walk you."

She paused, "I know, but…"

"Yeah, I know." Sasori finished for her with a smirk.

"You're such a jerk." Sakura rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her lips. "But I meant for your cooperation while I was in Konoha. You handpicked your ingredient list and it really made a difference in the composition of the poison."

"Well, I thought you amateurs could use some guidance. Wouldn't want you wasting both of our time."

Sakura could not fight the urge to roll her eyes _again -_ at this rate she was going to lose them behind her eyelids before she returned to Konoha.

The two continued to walk through the market, the blazing sun nearing the horizon and signaling many to return back outside in the cooler air. While the two fell into a comfortable silence, it was a stark contrast to those around them. Vendors and other market-goers continued to light the streets with conversation and a jovial atmosphere. And while she had been to Suna before, never had Sakura seen a sight like this and thought this would be hers for the next few _months_.

She spotted a familiar restaurant and fought a grimace, "If we run into Temari in the next few minutes, this is your fault."

Sasori did not need to look to know what she was talking about, "Lucky for you, she's out on a mission."

The pinkette turned back to him, "Oh."

Sasori glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "Don't worry, your pretty little head. She'll be back in a few days."

Sakura nodded, and after a beat, she added, "You think I have a pretty head?"

It was the red-head's turn to roll his eyes, saying nothing as he continued to lead the way to her temporary residence.

Sakura took in the sights of spices and foreign ingredients, somewhat eager to see them in their natural state and not imported to Konoha. She bounced to a stall every so often, making a mental note of where she could buy certain items. And while the pinkette fully expected Sasori to walk away and leave her every time she took a momentary detour, since he was not exactly the _most_ patient person, he waited for her at every stop (not without tapping his foot or crossing his arms, of course).

The pinkette watched as their busy background slowly diminished into a quiet silence, the bustling vendors gone as they took a step into a more expensive part of the village.

"Where are we going? She asked, taking note of the suddenly ornate-nature of the decorations around them.

Instead of the usually cracked pathways of compacted sand and clay, walkways were made of stone with intricate moldings along the sides. Fewer pedestrians surrounded them and those who were out had a rather quiet air. If she had to describe the feel of the atmosphere, Sakura would liken it to the stark contrast of Konoha to the dignified Uchiha district.

Sasori replied, quirking a brow and saying. "The Third set aside one of the Kazekage's quarters for you."

Sakura hesitated, "He knows that's not necessary, right?"

"Best-friend to the Hokage's son and apprentice to a Senju," Sasori started. "It doesn't really matter what's necessary. It's about the impression."

"You're right." Sakura admitted, a pensive look on her face.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Sasori commented, before inclining his head toward a particular building. "Just let them know you're here."

"Them?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I better go before they see me." He stated vaguely, before turning around.

Sakura said nothing to stop him, knowing full well that he was not going to respond less she attack him outright. She doubted that neither Naruto nor Ino would let her out of their sight until she was comfortable, but this was Sasori - she had to get used to being somewhere without a best friend.

The pinkette headed toward the building alone, sand crunching between her toes as she clutched the straps of her pack. To her surprise, the carved-door opened as she neared it, two women welcoming her as she simply stopped in place.

"We look forward to serving you, Haruno-san." The one on the right greeted.

"Serving me…?" She questioned, before taking a step into the home.

She had passed clay and stucco homes in her walk, but now Sakura was marveling at wooden carvings and ornate decorations in the place she would call home for the next few months. And while it was a kind gesture, to be housed for _free_ in one of probably the best homes in the whole village, it made Sakura suddenly feel that much more alone.

"Yes, this a serviced home - one of the few that the Kazekage reserves for visiting delegates and other honorary guests." She replied, a smile on her face that did not quite reach her eyes.

Attempting to hide her reaction to the unnerving smile, Sakura attempted her own back before asking. "Wow, that's great. Am I the only one staying in the whole house?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Oh, uh. Lucky me!" Sakura tried with a positive tilt, "So, mind showing me to my room?"

The one on the left cut in, lifting a hand towards the middle banister to signal they would be heading upstairs. "Of course, Haruno-san. Please feel free to ask me for anything."

Sakura took a step, a hand on the embellished railing as they walked side-by-side. She regarded the young housemaid, one that must have been close in age to herself, before asking, "How about your name?"

"Yuna, at your service."

"Please, just Sakura is fine." She insisted, "For everyone here, really."

"I look forward to serving you, Sakura-san."

The pinkette flashed her a sheepish smile, one that Yuna surely recognize, but said nothing to the young woman. Rather, Sakura allowed the brunette to lead her to her room - one all the down the hall with double-doors.

Yuna opened it for her as they stepped inside, "Please let me know if you require any changes."

Sakura scanned the room, observing the large layout of what would be her bedroom. A canopy-bed with spotless, white sheets. Next to them were end-tables of the same color, a lamp resting on one and a clock on the other. There were windows guarded by glass that lined the walls, as opposed to the tapestry covered hole-in-the-walls that other homes called windows. The most obvious objects were the cardboard boxes that she had sent ahead of time, sitting in one corner of the room.

The pinkette thanked the young woman, Yuna closing the door behind her to give her space.

The first items of importance, Sakura took out of her backpack, objects that were important enough that she had waited to carry them on her.

Lightly pushing aside the other objects on the bedside table, Sakura placed two picture frames there instead - the one Team Kakashi took before she left and another of her ANBU team, in casual gear, of course.

Observing the empty room one more time, Sakura got-up from the bed with a new energy.

She will get used to this, _eventually_.

 **xXxXxXxXx**

Her first morning was probably be the roughest.

The shower, cooled by the desert night, ran absolutely freezing. She was one who cherished hot showers - this was not a good precedent for her first morning. The pinkette spent more time rubbing at her skin, hoping to no avail to get most of the sand off her body. But with the air literally littered with such particles, it was impossible.

Sakura resigned to her new lifestyle, before leaving towards the Kazekage's tower. She mentally noted that she would be arriving much earlier than the agreed time, but figured it was better to be early than possibly late for their first official meeting.

She entered and scanned the room and caught sight of a familiar face - the Sunagakure Hospital's Chief of Medicine. With nondescript brown hair and brown eyes, he blended into the crowd of Suna citizens easily. He was currently engaged in a conversation with someone else, moving Sakura to avert her eyes from their serious faces.

"You lost or something?" A voice to her right greeted.

Sakura took a deep breath before turning, "Good morning to you too, sunshine. Didn't take you for an early bird."

Sasori's face was dead-serious as he replied, "I'm not."

"Then what are you doing in the Kazekage tower so early…?" She questioned outwardly, voice stretching to a whisper towards the end.

Sakura felt someone else approach her and Sasori took his leave - heading up toward, where she assumed, to the Third Kazekage's chamber.

But why was the red-head here so often?

Come to think of it, Sasori was handpicked as part of the strategic team when having to retrieve Gaara, when both Naruto, Sasuke, and _even herself_ were not. And while she could chalk it up to being simply being a family member, a prickling feeling in her gut told her it was not the case.

Sasori was possibly a member of the Kazekage's inner circle - a higher official in T&I or possibly a part of strategic counsel. After all, she had walked in on him yesterday deliberating over a scroll on their leader's desk. He was offering counsel, on what subject she had no idea.

It was clear that he was an amazing shinobi - of course.

But enough to garner attention and be requested counsel from the Kazekage?

It made Sakura curious where Sasori really lay on the political network of Suna, but for now, she had her own issues to think about.

"A pleasure to see you again, Haruno-san." The man in the lobby greeted as he approached, a hand-outstretched in her direction. "Again, I'm Tanaka Daito."

"Tanaka-san, a pleasure." She accepted his hand.

"Please, Daito is fine."

"Then just Sakura is too." She replied, the two mingled before moving to exit the building.

Sakura followed behind the highly-titled man, remembering the last time she was here. He had ushered her into the OR, simply observing as she healed Kankurō, one of his own.

Her walk was halted by accident, her head in the clouds as she walked into someone coming into the entrance.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, looking down toward the surprised young woman. Rasa, who he was silently walking alongside of, remained silent as he regarded the situation.

"Sorry, that was my fault." Sakura replied.

Gaara nodded in reply, before glancing at Daito then back to her. "Have a good first day, Sakura."

It was almost as if she could feel the heat of a thousand suns, growing around her.

There was no doubt that he was popular - if her younger days taught her anything, she could bet that he, and probably Sasori, had a fan-club filled with women _lurking_ somewhere around the village. Sakura only hoped that this interaction would be not be misconstrued.

"Thank you, Gaara." She responded.

Rasa said nothing, inclining his head in greeting as he passed. But Sakura could see it - that small smirk he had on his face as he went on his way - she did not even _want to know_ what that was about.

Despite holding the same position as Lady Tsunade in the hospital, Daito was _nothing_ like her mentor. He was much more meek, more willing to listen. If Sakura had to pin-point it to one specific aspect, Daito was missing the _spunk_ and overall intimidation that Tsunade held with simply her name.

But it was no time to be making comparisons.

Daito showed her the various operating rooms, the nurses' station, and various landmarks within the hospital that she would need to know.

All conversation stopped as she neared the nurses' station. There were multiple packs of hospital staff, standing in small cliques as they watched Sakura get nearer. Their eyes and attention were quickly drawn to the young woman with exotic hair.

A few of them had made the effort to greet her warmly - ones that she personally recognized had assisted her in bringing back Kankurō.

"I hope to learn as much as I can from you." A resident introduced themselves, taking her hand excitedly.

"Please feel free to include residents in your surgeries." Another added, the same animated gleam in their eyes.

Sakura nodded, thanking them for their enthusiasm and assuring them that it was bound to happen during her stay here.

Daito handed her a new pager, along with a white-coat with _her_ name on it - they were really anticipating her arrival.

Sakura smiled, grateful for their openness to her appearance. She knew that coming here would only be as effective as the staff was accepting - this was a relatively good start.

Well, except for that.

A pack of nurses, signified by the color of their light-blue scrubs, had yet to even speak to her. One of the nurses, the one who had stopped her from checking up on Gaara the last time, was openly glaring at her. There was no doubt that they had seen here the last time - what had warranted such an icy welcoming?

She flashed them a smile in greeting, but received nothing back.

"I know we're just taking a tour today, but we both know you've worked efficiently in this hospital already. You basically haunted the poisons department last time." Daito caught her attention, "Would you mind doing a consult for me today?"

"Sure, don't hesitate to ask."

The Chief was oddly humble, but still knowledgeable. He recognized Sakura for who she was, beyond her simple title in Konoha as simply an _attending._ Daito saw her for who she was - the apprentice to the best medic in the world. However, Sakura gave him equal respect. Daito was the Chief at a hospital that needed a lot of work - the weight on his shoulders was much heavier than Tsunade's, admittedly.

At any second, an emergency in Konoha could be handled by Rin, Shizune, or herself. Tsunade was only called upon for extremely rare cases, such as if the other two were out of the village or were the ones injured. But to have a hospital where many relegated their help to the _Chief_ of all people, who definitely had more responsibilities than anyone else in the building, Sakura gave him lots of respect for his patience and overall stamina.

She silently observed, how he would travel from OR to OR and get paged by attendings who required his attention. Once word got around that she was willing to assist, Sakura had assisted on five surgeries within seventy-two hours. She had yet to go back home since her first day on assignment, instead taking quick power naps in the on-call room.

This could not be sustained.

Their poisons department was not the only section in need of attention, but cardiology and neurology needed a good look as well.

While Konoha's Hospital was filled with chakra-based doctors who could heal with more ease - Sungakura's hospital was split between both ninja and civilian doctors. The standout medics were stretched between departments, never having the time to do their own research or especially specialize in a single field.

Sakura sat in complete silence at her desk, quickly provided by the Kazekage, who had assigned an office space to her across the hall from the chief. Her first week was flying quickly, the honeymoon phase only lasting that first initial morning. After that, she was getting called into the OR and ER from different attendings, with barely any time to go down to poisons.

On one wall, she had a diagram with a complete map of hospital staff. Sakura studied it for a bit, comparing it to what she knew from her own experience and the notes received from Lady Tsunade. Each department altogether averaged a single attending with a handful of fellows and residents combined.

There was one clear fact - there was just not enough staff.

Was this what Lady Tsunade was trying to direct her attention to?

Sakura brought out the list of medical students, provided to her by Daito on the first day. He had explained to her that the hospital had an ongoing issue that there would be plenty of willing people to start the program, but by the mid-point it was clear that the majority were not progressing well enough.

The program was broken into two parts. Those who made it to the second stage were ones who demonstrated their seriousness in pursuing the field. And the statistics from the previous year's program bought nothing to her nerves.

Over a hundred medical students resulting in less than a dozen interns.

The long-hours, weight of responsibility, overall stress of holding people's lives in your literal hands - there were lots of factors that could attribute to the drop-off rate.

Sakura made some time on her schedule to sit in on the next lecture.

The pinkette heard a notification on her computer, Daito forwarding to her a formal schedule with her rotating through departments. The start of next week was with poisons, to which she made a mental note that it _still did not have a permanent attending._ Lady Chiyo was temporarily filling the position every so often, but her specialty was in making them, not creating antidotes.

She fought the urge to groan, simply getting up and leaving as she made her way to the whiteboard with the OR schedule.

Sakura knew she was booked in OR 3 with the Neuro fellow, who was also just as eager to learn. She greatly appreciated the overall enthusiasm in wanting to learn, but a part of her wondered if it was ever going to die down.

She was a medic, not a celebrity.

As if on cue, an intern made their way to her. "Hi! I was wondering if I could assist on the endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery later?"

Sakura turned to her, "And you chose to ask me and not the Oncologist fellow?"

"I -"

"Let me know what he says first." She cut off, before walking away.

The group of nurses at the station said nothing, but Sakura could feel their eyes follow her as she kept walking. _Whatever,_ she was not going to allow them to circumvent the hierarchy - it was there for a reason. Besides, it was not her case, Sakura had no idea who was already assigned.

"Since when did you get so icy?" A familiar voice asked.

Sakura paused, stopping in her walk as she turned to the red-head.

"How did you even get in here?"

"How sweet, ya little _brat_." He replied, ignoring her question as he smirked. "I was going to ask if you wanted to get lunch together. I figured you'd want to, since you don't have any friends. And from that encounter, I'm going to assume my guess was right."

"Alright, listen here _Pinocchio._ " She pointed at his chest, before his words fully dawned on her. "Wait, you think of me that much? How _thoughtful_ of you."

"Come on, you idiot." He pushed away her finger and grabbed her upper-arm.

She protested, "Wait! I have to check the OR board."

Sasori said nothing, dropping her elbow and following behind her as she stalked in a direction.

Sakura scanned the board, seeing that her surgery, the one that the intern had been so hopeful to assist on, was pushed back further into the afternoon. The fellow that she was meant to assist was called into a different OR - making Sakura doubt that their surgery would even go through tonight.

"Sphenoid sinus." Sasori stated next to her, "I didn't know you were a neurosurgeon."

"I'm not." She bit back. "I'm a chakra-based medic-nin. We can treat the entire body, but specialize in specific assaults. Rin emphasized poisons while Shizune is good with logistics."

Sasori said nothing in reply.

Sakura glanced at the procedure again, nothing on the board explaining in layman's terms what the surgery was about. "Wait, since when were you interested in medicine?"

"My family specializes in poisons - we like to know what we're targeting." He responded, as if it was obvious. His eyes widened at an approaching crowd and he fought the urge to grimace. "We should go now."

Sakura looked at the trio of nurses and then teased, "Why? Afraid of girls?"

He rolled his eyes then, "It's not _me_ I'm worried about."

The pinkette shot him a questioning look and before she could voice anything, a higher-pitched voice entered their conversation. "Sasori-sama! And who have you come to visit today at the hospital?"

Sakura watched the loud nurse, the one who did not especially like her, and whispered in question. "Sasori- _sama_ …?"

She saw his eyes twitch for a second before he turned around to address them. The nurse had already made her way right up next to him, invading his personal space.

"I've told you already that my name alone is fine."

"It's still an absolute _pleasure_ to see you around here." The same nurse continued, "While Matsuri always preferred Gaara, _I_ love seeing your handsome face."

The pinkette caught on quickly - after all she had Sasuke's fangirl for some time. And she had watched the poor Uchiha put up with them, albeit much ruder, for years after that.

But Sakura decided to continue teasing the poor red-head. "Oh, I see. Is this your girlfriend?"

The young woman's eyes gleamed in approval, her two friends in amused shock at the question. Meanwhile, Sasori (yeet'ed) pushed the young woman away.

"Sari's an acquaintance of mine." Sasori corrected, before glaring at Sakura. The young woman in question frowned, annoyed that the red-head was still keeping her at an arm's length.

Sasori wanted to wipe that dumb smirk off Sakura's face. After all, it was her fault that they had lingered for so long.

"Don't be jealous." Sasori directed at Sakura, causing the pinkette to quirk a brow. "Come on _honey_ , we should get going. I made a reservation."

Sakura tensed up and held her hands in a defensive position, their audience audibly shocked and jumping in obvious disapproval right after. Sasori did not address them - instead grabbing her elbow as he briskly walked away.

"You idiot." Sakura chastised, using her free arm to slap at the hand holding her.

"Don't keep me waiting." Sasori replied, letting go but still walking out of the hospital, the pinkette trailing right behind him.

Sakura felt the weight of many eyes, of nurses and doctors alike, probably following behind them as they left for lunch. And while her red-headed friend may not care, Sakura was annoyed that this was the impression she was letting off.

"Now everyone's going to think we're dating." She hissed when they finally left the building.

"Maybe they'll at least get off my back."

"At the sacrifice of my reputation." She bit back.

"As if being seen with me is a bad thing." Sasori replied.

"What?"

He scoffed, "As if you didn't know."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, genuinely confused.

"Don't tell me you're not after the excitement of power?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion.

Sasori sighed in exasperation, "It's not like my family is full of councilmen. Or better yet, like we hold majority power as we speak."

"Okay, I honestly don't care. And isn't that just your family?"

Sasori shot her a look, before asking. "Wait, you really don't know?"

"About what?" She looked down as she asked, now unsure what he was talking about.

The red-head narrowed his eyes at her, his smirk morphing into a small, genuine smile. Sakura was stunned at the sudden, genuine expression. It made Sakura wonder what she was truly missing out on, for Sasori to react that way. The look was so quick, so much so that Sakura wondered if that truly was a smile, before he turned around back in the direction of the restaurant.

"Wait, _pinocchio!_ You can't just say that and walk away!" She yelled, uncaring of the eyes that she was gaining.

Sakura, not wanting to lose him, ran after Sasori before he left her line-of-sight.

"Is that really how it's going to be?" She asked, grabbing at _his_ elbow this time.

"It really do be that way." He replied, smirk still prevalent on his face.

Sakura crossed her arms, but did not push it. Whatever it was - it seemed to be something that the majority was aware of anyway. It would come out in due time, but she was not going to press the man in question. From the way he wielded that tidbit of information, with dare she say _spite,_ she would not talk about it further since there was an obvious aversion on his part anyway.

"Fine. Where are we going?" She conceded. Sakura mused that it must have surprised him, since he shot her a curious glance at first.

"I actually did make a reservation."

"Wait, really?" Sakura asked with enthusiasm, teasing words already on the tip of her tongue.

"Yeah, I don't like to be kept waiting."

She sighed, that was the response she was expecting.

I mean, not like she was _really expecting_ anything else, right?

Sasori's family had not exaggerated last time, when they exclaimed that this particular restaurant was their favorite. The red-head had brought her again - this visit almost just as busy, lunchgoers eager to have their mid-day meal.

Sakura took a seat across from him, taking in her bustling surroundings as other customers filed in and out of the popular restaurant. It had not changed much, since there really was only two seasons in Suna: sandstorm and not sandstorm season. The patios were still opened, the two of them taking a seat in the shade outside.

The pinkette was curious to see that they had not approached them with menus, only to be surprised again.

"I ordered ahead for us." Sasori stated.

"What? What if I don't like it?" She teased.

"Yeah, right. Tell that to the meal you massacred the last time we were here."

Sakura blushed, before exclaiming, "Don't judge me today either!"

Sasori smirked, leaning back as a waiter deposited water for each of them.

"Thanks for inviting me out." Sakura admitted, "It's been a while since I've had a proper meal like this."

"A while? You've only been here for a week, at most." Sasori asked as he crossed his arms.

"Well, I haven't even been in a proper bed in a few days." She confessed.

" _What?"_ The indignation was evident in his voice.

"What - I mean - it's normal for doctors to work almost eighty-hours a week." Sakura countered, "Besides, if you haven't forgotten I'm _already_ the attending medic-nin now."

"You are so annoying." Sasori stated plainly. "No wonder your teammates seemed so pissed at you back then. You never stop with this."

"Sasori, it's my job to help people. My main care right now is the hospital."

"And when will you start to care about yourself? There will _always_ be something else."

"But - "

"Just shut up and listen to me, alright _brat?"_ He interrupted, "If I catch you doing that shit again, I'll drag you out myself. Just you wait until Temari comes back."

Sakura, shocked into silence, asked in surprise rather than spite, "Since when do you care?

Sasori stared at her then, _really_ looked at her as if she was some idiot, "You really are as dumb as you look."

"You ass!"

He pointedly ignored her, turning his gaze away from her and to the passing surroundings from their outdoor table.

If she truly was this dense, he was certainly not going to spell it out for her, Sasori thought.

Sakura, stewing in her obvious anger, sucked in a deep breath to calm her rising anger. Her relationship with Sasori was so different from her boys - he reciprocated quips quickly on his feet and had no issues with honest words, no matter how brutal they were.

Huffing and turning away, Sakura moved her gaze to other occupants in the restaurant.

And since she was focused before on the red-head, Sakura failed to see the attention of the other Suna citizens and their curious looks.

More than two pairs of eyes averted her own as she scanned the room, their obvious interest seeping through to their appearances. And while she _had_ been in the village for a couple days already, her time had been extremely limited to the hospital and the mostly quiet sector of the affluent area.

Sakura sighed and then looked back to the red-head - clearly ignoring her and silent, she had no doubt that he could do this for the _entire_ lunch-hour if she did not address the situation.

However, the pinkette _had_ to admit that the last time she was here had seen a direct consequence of her self-sacrifice. And, not to mention, she had gotten similar lectures from the closest men in her life and an absolute _whipping_ from Lady Tsunade based on the same subject.

She saw where they were coming from, but her surprise from Sasori was not from his care, but rather that it was from the red-head entirely.

Their relationship was so ambiguous, a rivalry and friendship that flourished from barely even speaking to each other between the years. It made her strangely uncomfortable, unsure where to categorize Sasori;s place in her life. But a good part of her genuinely wanted to be closer, but she needed to address this first.

Sakura had lashed out unfoundedly, she mentally admitted.

"I'm sorry." Sakura stated quietly, barely above her breath.

Sasori sighed, clearly in exasperation as he heard her, then turned his body back to her as he unfolded his arms.

"It's not that serious." He replied, "But take better care of yourself okay?"

Sakura smiled back and reassured, "I will."

"Yeah, like I would trust that." Sasori scoffed in a sarcastic tone, "Expect more drop-ins from your friends."

Rather than reeling in surprise, Sakura felt a small smile grow on her face.

 _Her friends._

Sakura was away from home, but not as alone as she had once believed.

 **xXxXxXxXx**

Sakura looked at her notes from her sit-in with the medical students. She sat in the back, paper and pencil in hand as she quietly observed the class. The pinkette entered through the back, sure at this point that nobody had even seen her in the room the whole time.

The students were already in the second stage, being told that there were already less than thirty students left in the current program. It was not like the class was bad, per se. It was informative and honest, reviewing information that they would need in practice.

But it wasn't inspiring.

She had watched as students, who should have been enraptured in their field, lose interest and mentally wander from the lecture. How some had stopped taking notes, doodling to the side or simply letting their interest go to something else. There were not even the full thirty students present - she had counted around twenty, at most.

Sakura bit her inner cheek, trying to think of a way to simply _reach their hearts._

It was one thing to study a subject. It was an entirely different meaning to make it your passion.

She had first gained an interest in the medical field _because_ of Lady Tsunade. Yes, it was a rewarding field and she cherished the ability to help the unfortunate. But Sakura was influenced by the strong-willed and powerful kunoichi - the one who used her medical prowess to both bring people to life and flatten entire mountainsides.

Sitting up, Sakura sent an email to the instructor, requesting if she could take the reigns one day and teach a class for herself.

They had responded immediately:

 _The program would be very grateful for you to step-in. The Chief of Medicine is scheduled as the guest speaker in t_ _omorrow_ _, but I am sure we can make something work. Please keep us in mind for_ _the_ _morning's block of time._

Within the hour she had a formal invitation in her email.

They had also attached a loose syllabus and where they were headed in the curriculum, to which she eagerly examined and cross-referenced to her personal journal.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts, she recognized the voice and welcomed them in with her own, putting down her paper and giving him her full attention.

"Hey." Daito greeted, holding the door open as he stood there, not walking further into her office. "Thanks for being so hands-on."

"Don't worry. It's what I'm here for." She replied.

"I know, but honestly I was a little worried." He answered honestly, "For no reason though, thankfully."

Sakura visibly showed her confusion, urging him to continue. Daito shot her a wistful smile, one that seemed more loaded than he gave off, before closing the door behind him as he left.

She mentally filed it away, thinking this was one of his quirks before focusing back on the task on hand.

Sakura would reach their hearts - in one way or another.

The sudden excitement that bustled around the interns and residents was obvious, as Sakura ended her shift. Their eyes would draw to her and she had heard in passing a conversation, _She's filling in that last minute? I'm so jealous!_

And despite the class usually being aimed toward the medical students, Sakura silently hoped the classroom would be filled with all who needed the rude awakening.

The impact of her presence was obvious when she entered the classroom the next morning - the lecture hall was filled with all thirty medical students in the program, as well as some interns and newly-christened residents in the room.

"Good morning all." She greeted. "My name is Haruno Sakura, and as many of you know, I'm being loaned out by the Konohagakure Hospital. Please, treat me kindly today as your instructor."

The attendants mirrored a morning greeting, enthusiasm shining brightly as they paid attention to her words.

"Let's start with something that will keep your attention." Sakura stated aloud, walking over to the table that was not there before. While the usual instructor taught a traditional lecture, the pinkette had substituted the podium for a surgical table. There was a complete set-up next to the table, as she had requested, acting like Sakura's own mini-OR.

The sight had obviously roused the class' attention before she even entered the room.

"Can I have a volunteer?" She questioned, multiple hands raising immediately, eager to be selected by the infamous medic-nin. As she was walking, she was scrubbing in, "We're going to have a mock surgery, right here."

If only they knew why Shizune preferred to keep both Sakura and Tsunade _away_ from the medical students back in Konoha.

The Chief walked in silently at the very back, standing along the wall as he watched Sakura address the class.

Sakura scanned the students, before choosing a male she recognized from when she had observed before. He had been one who stopped taking notes and left when the lecture was half-way through, never returning back to the classroom. And he had the gall to sit in the front-row today.

"Lay down, why don't you?" She instructed, confusion evident in his eyes as he expected to stand next to her.

Sakura took in the smiling, avid faces of the classroom, before lifting her kunai.

And she stabbed him.

Right in the chest.

You could hear a pin-drop in the classroom, for a single second, before it was suddenly very _panicked._

"Haruno-san?!" One of the residents exclaimed, wondering if she had snapped after only two weeks of being in Suna.

Sakura did not respond, putting her other hand on his forehead as she attempted to alleviate his pain. Instead of answering, she plunged it deeper and twisted, the student groaning out in surprise more than pain. She made sure to aim the stab wound at his left chest, following along the mid axillary line.

After a few beats, she took the kunai out and placed her hand back on the area - exuding chakra to keep him from dying, but just enough to leave the wound as it was.

"Your patient has come in with a single, isolated stab wound. He's been awake the entire transport. Now, the only complaint obtained from the patient was shortness of breath. What do you do?" She posed the class.

The panicked faces and overall stunned-silence promulgated the room, even the experienced staff had not yet answered her.

"You have a patient on the table, what do you do?" Sakura asked again, louder this time. "Can anyone answer me, just say it aloud!" She emphasized the pressure.

A student sitting in the middle rows raised her hand as she spoke. "I'd get in there with chakra and-"

"No - no chakra this time." Sakura interrupted, "Chakra requires fine precision. And if you can't tell me how to do it with our own two hands, how much more can you truly understand it with something you can barely control?"

A different female, blonde, stood up, "Cardiac monitors, blood pressure-cuff and oxygen saturation probes."

"Okay, let's say his vitals are fine - heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate - now what?"

"Oxygen mask and conduct a primary survey and blood work - a coagulation panel and CBC will help if plasma may be required for transfusion in surgery." The same student continued.

"Good. You're invited to assist." Sakura nodded, gesturing with her open hand to come down the front. "Your last name?"

"Nakamura, Haruno-san.""

"Alright resident Nakamura, welcome to trauma." Sakura stated, before motioning for her to scrub in. Nakamura took the first set of scrubs, leaving only two more in the pile. "Can anyone tell me what else you should do before you cut him up?"

The rest of the class caught on, now rapidly thinking in an attempt to gain access to assist the mock surgery. Their star-gazed looks now turning serious, eager to get a part in the unique teaching experience.

A male in the first row, with nondescript black hair and strangely striking green eyes, stood up, "A CXR."

"Just a CXR?" Sakura asked with a raised brow. "What kind do you recommend?"

He hesitated, before answering. "An upright CXR, since its an isolated injury it does not warrant spinal precautions. Pelvis and lateral C-spine films are also not needed in an isolated injury."

She smiled, "Good, your name?"

"Takumi, Haruno-san."

"Good, scrub in resident Takumi." She motioned to the stack and the sink in the corner of the room. "Alright. We're about to start the procedure but the patient started complaining of a new subscapular pain. Can someone explain what that is and why it's alarming?"

A meek female stood, "Subscapular pain refers to pain between the shoulder blades."

"Yes, but _why_ does that matter?"

Sakura waited, eyes scanning the class as she watched them scramble for the right answer. Some were deep in thought while others were flipping through their notebooks.

Finally, another female stood. "Patients with diaphragmatic injuries and irritation from the blood exhibit this type of pain."

"Good job. Now what type of procedure will _we_ be doing?"

The student smiled as she confidently answered, "A diagnostic laparoscopy, to check for intra-abdominal injuries."

Sakura motioned to the last scrub in the stack, "And your name?"

"Satō, ma'am."

Sakura nodded before addressing the class, "Before we begin, I want you all to pay attention since I will still be asking questions as we go on. Understood?"

She saw several of them nod their heads - still very enraptured in the process. While it was disappointing not to be chosen, Sakura thought it was interesting to see that all in the room were still captivated by the unorthodox teaching style.

"Now, surgical laparoscopy demonstrated an obvious defect in the diaphragm. One of which is a blood clot on the anterior surface of the stomach. What kind of procedure is this now?"

A student in the far back stood up, "An open laparotomy."

"Good." She turned to Takumi on her left, "Ten blade."

 **xXxXxXxXx**

While Sakura would admit that she would usually perform that particular surgery with chakra - taking no more than five minutes in comparison to their half-hour 'procedure' - she wanted to shock the students into the passion.

And there was no better way than introducing them to the real-life pressure.

The value of the lesson was shown especially worth it when the student, the one whom she had willing _stabbed_ in front of all his peers, _thanked_ her for the lesson and attempted to persuade her to visit again.

Both Takumi and Satō had relatively steady hands, but Nakamura's hesitation was evident throughout the mock surgery.

They had work to do, in both practical knowledge and confidence, but they were getting there in time. This was something only solved through experience, not simply reading.

She trudged home from the hospital, having assisted a real surgery after the class, and was dead on her feet.

No wonder Tsunade drank so much, this was exhausting on every level. Mentally, physically, emotionally - excusing her lunch with Sasori, she could not remember a single conversation she had in the past week that did not have to do with work.

The Dean of students was requesting her presence more as an instructor, attendings kept requesting her in the OR, and now the Chief had requested for her to come to the council meeting regarding the hospital budget at the end of the week.

Sakura had to remind herself of her main priority - _she came here for poisons._

How was she ever going to just sit down and truly examine the poison when there was _always_ something else?

Sakura clumsily slumped through her front door, having rested her weight on it when it was suddenly opened for her. "Oh! Do you acquire assistance, Haruno-san?"

"I'm fine." The pinkette responded, too tired to address their referral to her last name.

"Are you sure?"

Sakura bit back a sarcastic remark, after all they were just trying to help, but was grateful for another voice that cut in.

"Hello, allow me to introduce myself for a quick second. I am the head housekeeper, in charge of keeping those gossiping girls in line." She said sassily, pale red-hair entering Sakura's line of sight. "They'll leave you alone, but I do apologize for not introducing myself before, I was away on a mission."

"No worries. Nice to meet you." Sakura could not help but notice the woman's confident stature. "And your name?"

"Tayuya."

* * *

 **AN: I will say one thing, that I am much more consistent with writing and uploading then I was at the beginning of this story lmao**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN** : For anyone just jumping into this story, some background on the world is that a lot of the damage from the Second Shinobi War is cancelled out:

-White fang never kills Sasori's parents  
\- Sasori never kills the Third Kazekage  
\- Rasa never becomes Kazekage  
\- the akatsuki never exists since the SSW never happened  
\- orochimaru doesn't get the chance to kill hiruzen  
\- ALSO its speculated by the manga that the third shinobi war is what lead to a lot of mistrust and overall wane in the shinobi countries, so just like cancel that out lmao  
\- also there's some plot-no-justu in there so everyone's hovering a closer age gap  
\- ALSO we don;t know a lot of ninja from Suna; so im retconning some from the games  
\- Also im not adding names to Sasori's parents because we dont know as of right now and boruto is in flashback mode as we speak so lmao

Enjoy! :)

 **xXxXxXxXx**

"Where is she!?"

Sakura heard the loud voice boom from the reception all the way to where she was standing by the nurses' station. She sighed, wondering if the tinge of annoyance coming from the blonde was thanks to _Sasori_ and what he had mentioned last time. The pinkette made her way toward the noise, accepting of the doom awaiting her.

Her dark green eyes caught onto Sakura's emerald ones, less than ten feet away. The blonde looked the same as the last time she saw her - four pigtails and lots of attitude coming her way.

"Did you honestly think you could evade me for long?"

"Temari, like I could ever." Sakura greeted, outstretching her arms in welcome and taking the blonde into a hug.

"Come on, we're going out to lunch."

Sakura smiled in disbelief, "What? What about my job?"

Temari regarded her seriously then, "I'm sure your job would want you in top condition, right? And that's not entirely possibly while running on soldier pills and evading a proper bed, wouldn't you agree?"

The pinkette paused with a flat expression, putting down the clipboard she was previously holding and giving it to the nurse at the station, already giving up.

"You talked to Sasori, didn't you?"

Temari laughed at her then, before pulling at her arm. "Come on already."

Sari's eyes watched the two women exit the hospital, gritting her teeth as they went by. The nurse had half the mind to march right up to the pinkette and demand answers, namely:

 _Who the hell did she think she was?_

Her two friends said nothing, not wanting to incur the wrath of their excessively devoted friend.

A few minutes later, the two strong kunoichi were sat in a booth, inside a restaurant by the city square and eagerly awaiting their orders of udon.

"You won't believe what I heard at the gate this morning." Temari started.

Sakura sighed, already used to this amount of teasing from her best friends at home. She attempted to deflect the weight of the gossip saying, "Yes, Sasori and I had lunch together. But it was not a date, I promise."

"Wait, _what?_ "

The pinkette fought a curse, "I mean - whatever you have to say is obviously much more important."

Temari scoffed with a smirk, "I was going to stay that you stabbed someone and somehow got everyone to enjoy it, but _wHaT?_ "

"I thought you knew - Sasori told you my eating schedule has been all messed up!" Sakura reasoned.

"Yeah, but he didn't explain the context." Temari replied, "For all I knew, it was pillow-talk for you two lovebirds."

Sakura shot her a stink-eye, emphasizing again that _it was not like that._

"Speak for yourself." Temari waved off, "I've seen you two together, it's like watching a boy pulling his crush's pigtails."

The pinkette blushed rosy-red before clasping her hands together, as if to calm herself. "We're more rivals than anywhere in love, as many of you so falsely believe."

If not for the look Temari shot her, she mostly ignored Sakura's statement. "I mean, Kankurō and I just arrived back, which means that the two of you have been alone together for the past two weeks." She winked at the end of her statement.

" _Temari."_

"Who knows how many _late night spars_ you two have been engaged in."

"Temari, I will launch you into the sun."

The blonde laughed, stopping her teasing as the waiter approached with their orders. Sakura thanked the employee for the reprieve of teasing, it was feeling like a pressure cooker in the restaurant.

"You know I'm just teasing." Temari stated after saying thanks for her food. "But you can't deny that the two of you have a deeper connection than most. It makes the rest of us, _us peasants_ with much simpler lives, all the more curious."

That made the pinkette laugh - is that how everyone viewed their relationship?

"Although I must say that I am rather partial to supporting my cousin. Those two Uchiha's be damned." Temari waved off, making the pinkette roll her eyes.

"I'll be honest. Sasori's admirable - he's honest and cares so much about the people in his close circle, but I don't know."

"I've known Sasori my entire life and I've never seen him the way he is with you, with anyone else."

"What? He must have dated at least _someone._ "

"First off, no he has not. _Ever._ " Temari listed off, "And two, _you_ categorize your relationship as dating?"

Sakura slapped her forehead with an open palm, " _No!_ It was just a question. I can't even _see_ myself even dating him right now."

Temari backed up in her seat, nearly demanding. "Is something wrong with my cousin? What? Is it because he's not an _Uchiha?_ "

"No, not at all!" She defended, "It's just that we're friends. That's all there is to it. Besides, we have too much going on right now to seriously consider anything more."

Temari frowned, but nodded in agreement as she dug more into her meal.

"Wait." Sakura paused, the excitement and rush of their previous conversation dying down, "If you just got back this morning, when did Sasori ever have the chance to tell you about me?"

"Oh, I saw him and Gaara when I checked in with the Kazekage." Temari waved offhandedly.

"Oh really?" Sakura questioned, "Those two tend to be around the Kazekage a lot."

"Well, I would hope so." Temari said with sass, "I mean, Sasori _is_ the Kazekage's assistant."

Sakura stopped, putting her chopsticks down and letting the information _almost physically_ sink into her brain. The Kazekage's assistant, much like Dan's current position to the Yondaime Hokage, was one of the direct advisers and helpers to the highest leader in the entire village.

No wonder Sasori called her an idiot before their lunch.

" _Really_?"

"You honestly didn't know?" Temari asked in surprise.

"I had no idea he had any direct connection to the Kazekage." Sakura mused aloud, "Other than your familial ties to the council."

Temari narrowed an eye at her, "You're being serious?"

"Of course."

"Sakura, Gaara and Sasori are both being considered to be the next Kazekage." She stated as if it were obvious.

"Wait, _wHat?"_ It was the pinkette's turn to show her surprise, words and actions mirroring that of Temari's from the start of their conversation.

The blond chuckled at her genuine bewilderment, "Yeah, it's a little ironic since they both seem like they don't want it."

"Since when?"

"Maybe a year ago?" Temari answered between bites, "But Gaara has never been one for people and Sasori has always been more free-spirited. They're both brilliant fighters and intelligent beyond their years, but politics? I can see why they don't exactly favor it."

Sakura paused, simply staring at the noodles in her bowl as she thought carefully of her few interactions with both red-heads.

No wonder Sasori seemed so surprised the day of their lunch. This entire time, had Sasori assumed she knew? Did he think that she was attempting to get closer to him just because of a title? And to think that she had inadvertently squashed that fact, with her questioning and genuine lack of knowledge that day.

No wonder - he had _smiled at her._

Sakura had no doubt that there were people who did exactly that - women who wanted to be with him because of his rise to prominence and men who wanted to gain his future favor and possible promotions.

No wonder Sasori cherished his family so closely, they were some of the few people that he knew their true intentions of getting close to him.

And it was _no wonder_ that he was quick to befriend her, since she offered him her genuine friendship.

It was like a crashing all at once, missing pieces suddenly aligning to a much larger picture.

The words were like a mantra in her sudden epiphany:

 _no wonder no wonder no wonder_

Sakura mentally berated herself for not putting the two pieces together herself. Why else had Sasori been included during such hushed events over the past few months? The Kazekage, and by extension the council, must have personally groomed and approved of him.

She felt like an idiot.

And then, her analytical mind made her feel even worse.

Would anyone less than the Kazekage's assistant be instructed to escort the Hokage's close family friend?

While a huge part of her surged with pride, knowing that Sasori was being recognized for his undoubtedly advanced abilities, a small part of her inwardly sagged wondering how much of their interactions had come out of obligation from his title.

"What's that look for?" Temari asked, pulling the pinkette out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You looked really… dejected, just now." She asked, genuinely concerned. Temari pointed at her eyes, "It's almost like I can physically see your mind going a million miles a minute."

Sakura sighed, deciding to lay it all out. "You don't think, Sasori was just being nice to me out of obligation?"

Temari paused, at the emotionally loaded question. That was one of the last things she would have expected - maybe because she knew that Sasori simply was not that type of person. Yes, he would do as the Kazekage asked, but grumble and show his obvious lack of care.

Sasori would not willingly take Sakura out to lunch, alone, if he did not actually care.

That much was obvious, at least to the blonde.

But what had Temari most curious was that Sakura was questioning it in the first place. The pinkette was worried about how much of their relationship was real - putting it on the line as something she actually wanted, something she cherished.

It made Temari wonder, if on some subconscious level, had Sakura already made some stronger, emotional attachment to the red-head?

And while her first instinct would be to tease and point it out, it was obvious that the pinkette was in serious distress in regards to her cousin. It showed their vulnerability and silently acknowledged, now on both of their ends, that _something_ was there.

Just neither of them really knew it yet.

"Honestly, I can't answer that question one-hundred percent. Maybe in the beginning, who knows." Temari responded, "But I do know him. And I know, for a fact, that Sasori wouldn't have put in the effort to check-up on you if he didn't actually care."

Sakura nodded in agreement, obviously mulling her words over. "That's true."

"You know Sasori." Temari was drilling the sentiment in her mind, " _You know him_. If that boy has anything, it's his blunt honesty. And he used it to care about _you._ "

"Yeah, you're right." Sakura agreed, shaking her head as if to rid the negative thoughts. "I know this. I'm just being dumb."

"Yeah, _you are._ " Temari nodded, "But that's okay, everyone gets self-conscious about their boyfriend."

Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling now, but said nothing to refute it.

"What I find matters, in my opinion, is where you guys are now." Temari continued, "You met his parents and then went on a date - a little out of order if you ask me."

" _Temari - "_

She interrupted, pointing a thumb over her shoulder toward the door as she winked. "Oh look who it is." Temari turned in her seat and waved at the red-head at the door.

"If you say _anything_ I will literally kill you." Sakura whispered as she hid behind her cup of green tea.

Temari laughed, "You're not even going to look to see who it is?"

Sakura shot her another glare, before turning her head to the side.

"Hello." The voice greeted, making Sakura sag in both relief and numbness.

He probably that she was dumb and rude.

"Gaara, hi!" She nearly yelped out, "Good to see you."

He looked at her inquisitively, adorned in the usual Jōnin attire of a Suna-nin, before turning to his sister in greeting.

"Care to join us?" The pinkette asked.

"No, thank you." He replied politely, "I am here to pick-up an order for the Third."

"Take a seat while we're waiting." Temari offered, to which he nodded.

The blonde, loving to tease her friends and her especially quiet brother, suddenly had no extra room on her side of the booth - stretching out both arms and motioning towards the seat on Sakura's side.

The pinkette shot her a look before moving over, smiling as naturally as she could as Gaara took the space next to her.

"I'm glad we got a chance to see each other again on better circumstances." Sakura started.

His seafoam eyes seemed to relax, ever so slightly, at her words, "Thank you again, for last time."

Sakura waved it off with a kind look, "Don't worry about it. I'll never withhold from a person in need."

"So I've heard."

 _That was strange wording,_ Sakura mused at his response.

However, her reply was not necessary since the waiter approached their table, taking away his attention and offering a cup of green tea despite Gaara's waive that he would be present only for a few minutes.

"Thank you for the kindness you've extended to both my family and my village." He turned back to her. "You saved my life."

And while his words seemed highly guarded and _much more_ polite than Naruto claimed the Suna-nin to be capable of, Sakura felt the genuine nature of his statement.

Sakura smiled back, "You're welcome. Please, feel free to ask if you need anything."

Gaara nodded, taking in her words very seriously.

The pinkette looked toward Temari, who was suddenly looking at _something fascinating_ on the ceiling, or anywhere away from Sakura in general.

"I must admit, it is comforting to know that our hospital is finally getting the proper upgrade they need." Temari added.

"Yes, well it's sad that it took this situation to move Konoha to action." Sakura replied, "But I'm happy to be here all the same."

Gaara nodded in agreement, before his attention was turned back to the waiter. The two kunoichi waved him goodbye, continuing to enjoy their lunch and casual time away from their daily responsibilities.

A part of Sakura, a much quieter and unknowing part of her mind, drew her closer to the quiet member of Rasa's family. Her friend had described, on multiple occasions, that Gaara had faced some issues as a child because of his Jinchūriki status. And while Naruto had his close friends and family, Sakura only heard of Rasa and not his mother. She wanted to reach out to him, as a best-friend to the nine-tailed fox.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxX**

Sakura logged another poison into her memory, using just a _drop_ of the sample onto the vulnerable plant - taking notes on the sudden effects, distinct coloration, the measure of quickness, and other factors.

She studied it for a few more seconds, before dropping the brand of antidote that a Suna-nin had made. And while it looked mostly effective, the key word was that it was only eliminating _most_ of the side-effect. However, that could lead to complications in the long-term or if the poison was simply so much that it overtook the human body.

A note with similar observations was written at the bottom, supplied the Chief himself, Daito.

However, he noted that he was unsure what he could add to the antidote in the case that it made the reaction more volatile. Other logs showed his multiple attempts with various degrees of failure, before he delegated it to the department. Daito's specialty was _definitely_ not in poisons, but still fulfilled the need to survey due to his position in the hospital.

"Any recommendations you can think of?" Lady Chiyo asked from behind Sakura, arms crossed as she leaned against the laboratory table.

Lady Chiyo was the current attending - the only person _relatively_ qualified to run this department at the hospital. There were other medical students milling about, as well as a resident or two caring for the various plants. Their attention, however, was clearly not on their assigned tasks. Instead, their eyes were quickly drawn to the foreign pinkette, the one famed for her work.

This department of the hospital, unlike much of its white hallways and overall bland atmosphere, was a mix of both a greenhouse and a lab. It allowed quick access to ingredients and the ability to create their own concoctions.

Lady Chiyo had shown her the top-priority samples in the lab - ones that they were in more frequent contact with and others that had the most deadly effects.

Sakura was silently examining one not directly connected to the Orochimaru case. Lady Chiyo made a point of first showing the pinkette poisons and herbs not natural to the Land of Fire, since she would mostly be working with desert ingredients going forward.

She turned her attention to the control poison, the small bit of it that was poured out onto a scroll. That was to ensure it would stay there, but also used this way as a measure to see if the antidote would actually work.

The pinkette pursed her lips and then made her way through the greenhouse. She perused a line of plants in the aisle, before landing her eyes on a specific bushel. Lady Chiyo watched as the young woman inspected the texture and overall quality of a single plant, before picking it and bringing it back to the table.

Other ingredients made their way to the hands of the pinkette, and within a few minutes, she was already mixing them with a mortar and pestle.

And to Lady Chiyo's disbelief, the older woman watched as the Konoha-nin, one so young at that, utilized a pipette to drop just a bit of her previous mixture onto the poisoned scroll.

The poison sizzled until there was nothing left.

"This adjustment should be more complete and much less volatile" Sakura stated as she wrote down the prior ingredients, most of her musing mental rather than out loud in the quiet greenhouse.

Lady Chiyo dropped her hands in surprise, reaching for the list and moving her eyes between that and the now perfectly _empty_ scroll.

"Wow." They heard a nearby voice, coming from one of the interns, Sakura mused.

Sakura smiled, not addressing their admiration, before stating. "Alright, hit me with the next one."

Lady Chiyo regarded her silently, Sakura's overflowing confidence and bright intellect obvious.

There was no doubt about it now, this was clearly Lady Tsunade's student.

From Sakura's strong conviction to her overall fighting style, it all exuded the powerful influence of the famed Sannin. Lady Chiyo wondered, if this young fresh-out-of _teenage_ years kunoichi had grown this far, where would they find Sakura in the next few years?

Taking in a breath, Lady Chiyo regarded the list one more time before handing it off to the nearby resident, telling them to log the sample and quadruplet the list as soon as possible.

"This something you do regularly at home?" Lady Chiyo asked, not unkindly.

Sakura regarded her with a smile, "Not so much anymore. I took some time to train under Uchiha Rin, as well. She had a knack for poisons and the rest is history." She trailed off at the end.

"I see." Lady Chiyo observed, not knowing that the pinkette had Uchiha ties outside her immediate teammate. Despite her current, serious appearance, Chiyo turned almost completely in personality as she joked, "Glad we're not at war then."

Sakura smiled, about to respond when the main entrance to the department opened.

"Is it finally visitation hours, granny's boy?" Sakura teased as she turned to address him, the red-head not hiding the roll of his eyes at her words.

"Just wanted to show you which ones in storage are mine." Sasori replied, taking out a piece of paper with over a dozen listed there.

The pinkette thought it was _cute._ After all, how did Sasori even know she assigned to this department today? Unless, of course, Lady Chiyo had told him or better yet he had asked his Grandma. And even so, Lady Chiyo could have just pointed it out to her. He did not need to come all the way here.

She decided not to comment on it, instead unable to stop her smile at the red-head.

Sakura dropped her attention to the list and skimmed it briefly, taking in serial numbers to check later, but found herself astonished when he took out _another_ piece of paper.

"You made this many?"

He looked at her flatly, "I'm a poison user."

"I know that, _Pinocchio._ " She bit back, "You just seem like such a perfectionist, I'm surprised you have the time to make this many deadly poisons."

Sasori regarded her evenly, "You don't even know the effects of them all."

"No, but I know you." She replied, "And you wouldn't waste your time on something half-assed."

He looked at her then, eyes a little _too_ blank to be considered casual, like he was almost trying too hard, Sakura inwardly noted. However, the moment passed and Sasori made a movement away from her. And to her surprise, it was not to leave, but _further_ into the greenhouse.

He quirked a brow at her surprised expression.

"Lady Chiyo is the temporary attending, but I come by here too sometimes." Sasori answered Sakura's silent question.

She thought back to complete hospital hierarchy hanging in her office, "I don't remember seeing your name on the record of staff."

"Can't imagine what that looks like." Sasori replied with a smirk, "This department must look like either a question mark or a big empty space on your board."

Sakura paused, the only line connecting this branch to the rest was Lady Chiyo. And she was only a temporary worker. Was there really no consistency in this department? The pinkette absent-mindedly bit her bottom lip, thinking back to her last time here.

She failed to see how Sasori's eyes snapped to the action immediately; instead, she was deep in thought at his last statement.

The group that helped her bring back Kankurō were all residents vying for surgery. The last time she worked in this department, on the poison that threatened their lives, she was completely alone. Not even a single intern nor resident was there to make their own progress.

The entire department was getting neglected. They were not only unprepared for a potential attack, but lacked the research and experience needed to run this alone.

Who was regulating this department to ensure that it was running up to code? No wonder the hospital lacked the knowledge that it was Sasori's poison last time, there was barely anyone here after all! And to add to that, it also had the additional layer of lack of security.

This department, which housed some of the deadliest weapons in the entire village, was not guarded at all hours of the day - barely anyone was here for even _half_ the morning. Who was restricted access to this department? Just the Kazekage clan? Or, as Sasori had demonstrated so kindly just a few minutes ago, could anyone just stroll into the greenhouse and start making their own poisons?

She felt an oncoming migraine at her temples.

Sasori and Lady Chiyo watched the pinkette, her heart on her sleeve as the worry grew more on more on her face.

"Let's do this one at a time." Sakura whispered, mostly to herself, glowing green chakra at her fingertips as she massaged her temples. "When you faced attacks from Orochimaru after I left, who treated that?"

"The Chief usually attempted to duplicate the surgery you performed on Kankurō - to extract directly from the user."

Sakura paused, "That's not always going to work. I mean, it's exhausting and a fight against time. And it can only be done on a single person, not a team."

"Yeah, we know." Sasori responded coolly.

The pinkette paused, taking in his words. Had they lost anyone, because they had to resort to such a drastic procedure as their main course of action? It made her want to address and improve the situation that much quicker.

"Okay, what about the poison itself?" She asked.

"We put in some work, but it's mostly me." Lady Chiyo motioned between the two of them, "And we've been working off of what you originally made."

"This department is made up by the two of you?" Her face dead-panned as she asked, still attempting to massage away her growing migraine. They nodded, obviously not happy at that factoid either. However, it made more and more sense as she thought about it. When she was back in Konoha, their main correspondent was Sasori.

"Two people who aren't even employed by the hospital run the most dangerous division of the entire building." Her face resolute, Sakura started. "Okay, I'll try to reserve the most of my time here. This is something we need to act quickly on. I can't imagine, if we get attacked while I'm here, that I wouldn't be immediately called to surgery rather than research."

Lady Chiyo nodded in agreement, leaning against the table behind her again as the pinkette verbally mapped out her battle plan.

"I'll pull a few from the batches for specialized training, across medical students to fellows. We need to start building this place from the ground-up." Sakura stated.

Lady Chiyo watched her, silently amused at the way the pinkette thought out loud. It was nice to see her verbally including them in her plan, since it explained every step she was going to take. It was refreshing to the older woman - compared to her two grandsons who would walk away without a word.

"Please let me know if there is any stand-out staff you would want to include in further training." She stated toward the older woman, who nodded in response.

Sakura turned to Sasori, a hand on her chin. "Do you mind showing me the highest risk poisons you have on file? As well as ones you believe the enemy has been specifically using?"

Sasori silently nodded, lifting the list in her hand to attention, but not taking it from her entirely. The two walked off in the direction of the storage unit, him advising her on a specific ingredient native to the Land of Wind that he found particularly deadly and easy to find.

Lady Chiyo watched them with a knowing eye, trailing behind them in silence as the two young ninja discussed the situation. They were so natural together, in both casual conversation and matching intellectually.

And while she would have teased both of them to _finally_ make things official, Lady Chiyo silently observed the two of them converse. The two walked side-by-side, exchanging witty banter despite the seriousness of the overall situation not dampening their mood.

It was quite clear that their friendship had been simply that - just a friendship. Even before the last few months, before the situation with Gaara, it seemed as if they were not particularly close. They were cordial to a point and withstood each other's presence.

Lady Chiyo wondered what was the turning point in the relationship. When had their bitter words turned to teasing? Or when their spiteful nicknames turned to soft banter?

She wondered if it could be pin-pointed to their mission - the one where Sasori insisted on taking her place instead. The red-head would previously only grumble in the presence of the pinkette. However, it seemed as if they had _both_ reached a place of mutual respect.

Was that what was missing?

Lady Chiyo guessed, but there was no way for her to truly know.

All she knew currently was that they were on very friendly terms and it was her duty to plant the seeds of romance between the two young Jōnin.

But from the way her grandson lingered on the pinkette's smile, even after Sakura had turned her attention elsewhere, Lady Chiyo wondered if it was even necessary.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxX**

Sakura took a better look at the medical students, quietly sitting in on another class with the aim of not being seen as she concealed her chakra. She had her own paperwork with her, not listening to the actual lecture but rather observing the students in their own environment.

She had chosen three surgery residents to possibly train in poisons. And while it may have been nerves, since she chose to sit in the operating theater for one of them, Sakura was not especially impressed with what she had seen.

The other two had been present for Kankurō's surgery and had been fairly amicable to her since then. Since her arrival, they had even assisted on some of her surgeries as well. And while they were definitely candidates, there was nothing particularly... _exceptional_ about them. They wanted to assist on surgeries, but never had actually asked to _lead_ one. There was a want to get better, that was for sure, but no bounding desire to be _the best._

However, Sakura inwardly reasoned that maybe that was not a fair deduction. When Lady Tsunade had first taken her in, she was a young kunoichi with bright eyes and a civilian background. Maybe she had to give them a bit more time to prove themselves?

She also had to remind herself of what Lady Tsunade had advised before she left Konoha: that there is _not always_ going to be a home-run super star in every program.

" _You're my prized apprentice, don't delude yourself into finding someone who fits your mold." Lady Tsunade dutifully reminded._

She was reminded that, that while yes her determination had gotten her far, Sakura had an untapped potential when she first presented herself to Tsunade.

Attitude could only get you so far.

Sakura was the first of her team to scale a tree and had the best chakra control of Team Kakashi.

" _Talent is something you make bloom; instinct is something you polish."_ Her mentor had vaguely said to her before she left.

The pinkette lacked the years of experience some of the attendings had back in Konoha. But that knowledge was quickly outweighed by the creep of overwhelming talent that she had while still in training. Sakura's gifted capabilities only increased with hands-on experience, taking in knowledge and fostering her natural tendencies.

But that required not only the right personality, but the right amount of potential.

There was also another factor that Sakura had to remind herself of:

That every nation had a hospital, but they did not all have a Lady Tsunade. She was hailed as the best medic-nin in the world because she was one of a kind. Her medical prowess was unmatched by anyone else and to have her as a teacher put her students far elevated in comparison to foreign nin with the same title.

A resident in Suna was not equal to a resident in Konoha, Sakura reminded herself.

She could train them to every last second she was here in Suna, and they could effectively process it and improve. But even then, it would not be as cohesive or even as knowledgeable as the well-oiled machine they had between Lady Tsunade, Shizune, and Rin.

But that did not mean Sakura was not going to try.

The current fellows had already found their niche departments. However, there happened to be a flurry of interns that were inexperienced but especially eager to help in diverse ways. A part of her wondered if she would be picking a majority of candidates from the younger ones in the hospital hierarchy.

Which then eventually led to her thinking of the aspiring doctors, the medical students who were eager to help but lacked the necessary experience. And while the program offered hands on participation, such as assisting in sutures in the pit and for those who code in emergency, it was not like they had ever performed a surgery.

Instead, when the medical students were invited to assist in the hospital, they were treated more like temporary guests than a member of the team.

However, Sakura inwardly noted, that could quickly be rearranged.

The three medical students, the ones that had 'assisted' on their mock-surgery a few weeks back, were enraptured in the presentation. And while the classroom setting had drastically improved since the last time she had visited, Sakura noticed that those particular three had a familiar, ambitious gleam in their eyes.

She had their regular instructor conduct a survey amongst the students a few days ago, the results of it sitting in Sakura's pile of paperwork in her office.

The pinkette recalled the outcome, remembering that of the three she had taken notice of, one had written: _surgery / non-specific_ ; and that the other wrote: _research_ / _poisons._

But it was Takumi's that caught her attention:

 _Medic-nin / poisons_

And so Sakura watched him, Takumi's determination and overall growing confidence in the subject matter obvious against the sea of students. He had the attitude, the soft skill already down, Takumi just needed the proper guidance. She had also done her due diligence and followed up on the residents whom he had shadowed before, all with positive remarks.

Sakura also noted that the interest in poisons was growing throughout the entirety of the class - more than six other students had written it down also as their subject of interest. Sakura wondered if the sudden rise of poison-laced attacks had inspired this newer generation. After all, Tsunade had told her that war was, unfortunately, the best motivator. And while they were not at war, it certainly felt like there was enemy out there treating it as such.

Once the lecture was dismissed and the students were assigned to their proper departments for shadowing that day, Sakura unconcealed her chakra and stood from her seat.

There was no hiding the sudden jump of surprise from the ones who had chakra, sensing the infamous medic-nin suddenly in the room. She nodded at the instructor as she descended down the stairs of the lecture hall.

As she got closer, Sakura made eye-contact with the students individually, "May I speak to the three of you?"

She folded her hands behind her back, papers hidden beneath the manila folder in her grip. Takumi nodded as he quickly packed up the rest of his papers. Nakamura, followed suit, her tuft of blonde hair bouncing along as she descended the stairs. The youngest of the three, Satō, meekly nodded before following.

"Hello, nice to see you all again. You're probably all wondering why you weren't assigned to a resident today."

They nodded, with various levels of enthusiasm.

"During my tenure here, I'm hoping to create a more stable poisons department from the ground up." Sakura started, "Does this sound of any interest to you? Please, be honest. There is no consequence if this does not seem like your passion."

Takumi's eyes lightened with interest while Satō smiled, nodding again.

"Maybe if I had some more details?" Nakamura asked, a hesitant look on her face.

Sakura inwardly noted that she was the one of the three who had no preference to any specific department.

"The main reason I've been asked to come here is for the heightened amount of poison-based attacks. And I've noticed that the department here can be significantly improved if given the right push." She explained, "And this goes in almost every direction - research, extraction, _etcetera etcetera._ " She trailed off.

"And so why pose us this question?" Takumi asked with a quirked brow.

"I want to start training at every level, not just the top. Meaning you would be invited to shadow and possibly even assist me personally." Sakura answered.

This caught all of their attention, Takumi immediately jumping at the opportunity with a _yes!_ while the quiet Satō was nodding her head now more enthusiastically. Nakamura smiled and accepted as well.

"Great, it may not happen as often as I'd prefer. But please know that that is my aim."

And while it was a rare opportunity, within two weeks they were effectively feeling the burn of overall busyness from being Sakura's personal project.

Unlike the other medical students, the three now had their own personal pagers and identification cards to give access to different departments.

Satō had voiced her preference behind the scenes, leading Sakura to delegate her to Lady Chiyo when she was not available in the department herself.

Takumi and Nakamura still had their own assignments, like that of shadowing other attendings. But they had special privileges, like that of being the only two medical students allowed in an OR. And while they had not been invited to assist yet, they were finally feeling the pressure of a surgery firsthand.

They watched Sakura delegate to nurses, raising questions toward even the more experienced residents during surgery. And how she handled the crash of a patient in the middle of a procedure.

She was getting their feet wet sooner the rest, they knew that.

After all, it was not like a poison-based surgery was going to come crashing through the window.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxX**

Temari heaved air into her lungs, not at all willing to concede to the Konoha-nin. But Sakura was quick on her feet, dodging the wind attack and attempting to close the distance between the two.

On Sakura's rare day off from work, one that was not taken willing, Temari noted with a smirk, she had challenged the pinkette to a good spar.

Sakura's days were almost always filled to the brim with _something,_ Temari had come to realize. She had visited the pinkette's abode and twice already she was informed that Sakura was not present. A quick trip to the hospital and the receptionist told her that Sakura was in the middle of teaching a class. Returning a few hours later, a nurse, one that the blond recognized as infatuated with her youngest brother, advised her that Sakura had back-to-back surgeries.

Temari had hoped to invite the Konoha-nin to dinner with the cousins, but it seemed that it was just not possible. Sasori had explained that she was in the process of rebuilding their entire poisons department, not to mention improving _multiple_ other departments as well, and would probably be even busier in the days to come.

But that did not stop Temari, who resorted to the law and showed Sakura that she had a federally mandated break after working so many hours. And after a few days, the pinkette grumbled and agreed, taking a single day off.

And now there they were, close to the edge of the village, since Temari was the one who insisted on maximizing damage and pushing their limits. They started off with simple taijutsu, blocking and evading that was natural to their everyday training.

But Temari wanted to kick it up a notch.

And while Sakura seemed apprehensive, once Temari threw the first wind release jutsu, all gloves were off.

The way Sakura kept rushing her, running up to close the distance and then evading when she got close enough, it made Temari wary and wanting to put _as much_ space as possible between them.

It was a smart tactic, don't get her wrong.

Temari categorized herself as a mid-range fighter. And with Sakura demanding her immediate space, it was much easier for her to evade or simply redirect Temari's large fan. Her fists were her best weapons and, even if she missed her opponent, Sakura could easily turn the terrain in her favor by nearly devastating everything around them.

Ten minutes in and there were large craters that rocked the training field, Temari noted with a grimace.

There was no doubt - Sakura was a brute force fighter.

The blonde, spotting the signs of a familiar right-hook, dodged to the side just in time. Even so, she felt the pure energy, the sudden release of chakra that seemingly electrocuted the air as it barely brushed past her shoulder.

The miss did not deter Sakura, instead following through with the punch and releasing her chakra on the ground, a large crater suddenly exploding between them.

Temari flipped backwards, eyes constantly shifting to see where the pinkette had gone and where she could land that was safe.

Attempting to put on some type of defense, Temari went through the hand-seals. "Earth Style: Clay Wall Jutsu!"

The wall went up just as Sakura popped out of the smoke, attempting to land her empowered punch and instead shattering the wall instead.

Temari felt herself stumble back, out of surprise more than anything else, and landed behind with her hands on the ground. There was no one, neither in her village nor out in the field, that she fought like Sakura. It was almost overwhelming - the pinkette strategized quickly and had massive amounts of damage. If she had to equate it to something, it was like fighting a bomb.

The blonde bit her lip from her spot on the ground, watching Sakura as she held her chin up proudly, a kunai in one hand as she aimed it toward the Suna kunoichi.

And while Temari was ready with a quick remark, their attentions were drawn when sand wormed its way through Sakura's fingers and released her hold on the weapon.

It was a strange feeling, to see sand from the earth make its way up your body and interlace around your appendage.

The pinkette furrowed her brows in confusion, looking toward the blonde who was searching the area.

"Gaara, we're just sparring."

Her brother, who Sakura now understood to be directing the sand, dropped from his cloud of sand that hovered the air.

"Tell that to Training Ground Four." He motioned behind him, to the wrecked field that was once a flat plain.

And while Gaara, of all people, would not usually be party to stopping a training session like this, he had to due to the attention it garnered.

He and Sasori had been studying different assigned sections of a peace treaty to a nearby civilian village. They were less than three-hundred people, with no true industry to back it. However, they wanted to ensure that their village would have _some_ type of amicable relationship to the nearest Great Shinobi Nation.

Gaara was halfway through a sentence when he _heard_ the first tremor. Both the Kazekage and Sasori looked up, the former getting up from his desk and looking out the window to see if there was an attack on the village. After another beat, they heard another earthquake-like shake and then the ensuing panic from the nearby marketplace.

Suddenly, a flurry of ANBU entered the Kazekage's chamber to secure the perimeter. Gaara stood as well, looking out the window and watching in the distance as a cloud of dust, explosion like, filled the air at the northern perimeter of the village.

"Let us secure your safety, Lord Kazekage." An ANBU regarded.

The Third observed Sasori, who had simply sighed and returned his attention back to the scroll.

"Is this a confirmed attack?"

"No. However, we can confirm bursts of high-level chakra emitting large explosions in the northeast corner." The ANBU replied. "We have personnel already on the way to investigate."

The Third addressed the calmest person in the room, "Sasori, is this not an attack?"

The red-head did not even put the scroll down, "No, it's just an idiot."

Gaara, interest peaked, cut in. "Allow me to pursue, will report back."

He had not even waited for the Kazekage's response, a quick _shunshin_ and Gaara was gone from the office entirely. Sasori lifted his gaze to watch his cousin leave, silently wondering why the quiet man was suddenly _so interested_ and had to leave immediately.

That was then, less two minutes ago.

"The training grounds are meant to be beat-up." Temari defended against Gaara, who was regarding both kunoichi evenly. The blonde got up to stand straight, then motioned toward Sakura for the red-head to let go of her finally.

Instead of dropping the sand all at once, Sakura felt it travel back down her body and to the ground. It was almost scary to imagine, that the sand that permeated almost everything around them, could be used that quickly to restrain and fight.

Sakura had never _felt_ Gaara us his sand on her. And now, knowing the sensation - it made her feel so _strange._

She looked at him for a second, but was quickly intimidated by his smouldering gaze. Sakura inwardly cursed, that was probably his neutral expression at play, but with his sand wrapped around her just before, it felt so strangely intimate that she wanted to simply jump away from the situation.

"Is the area secure?" A nin adorned in ANBU regalia asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, we're fine." Temari stressed, posing with upturned hands to show-off her mostly unscathed body.

The ANBU guards nodded, before turning their gaze to Sakura.

Gaara held up his hand, halting them from anything they were going to say. "Please refrain from leveling the village. It may not seem like much, but there has been a stir of panic in the marketplace."

It was rare for the red-head to be surprised or impressed. His sand spanned the entire village and there was no sign of an intruder nor an attack. It had not warned him nor identified the pinkette as an enemy. And so it was to his surprise that Gaara spotted a completely ravaged battlefield, one that he knew from personal experience did not occur from his sister.

Sakura regarded them with a sheepish expression, scratching at the back of her head before apologizing. The ANBU, somewhat sated by her words, left just as quickly as they came.

The pinkette inwardly cursed, somewhere in the village was some poor ninja who was tasked with writing a report on _her._

"You guys are taking this too seriously." Temari lightly chided, "You should see Konoha when Sakura and Lady Tsuande are sparring together."

The pinkette smirked at her defense. It was a rather strange concept, that the village was seemingly _used to_ her and Lady Tsunade's sudden bursts of energy. That life simply continued to move forward despite the obvious tremors and shakes from the infamous training field seven. Of course, that only increased in tenacity when the team of the same number was sparring - it was almost as if they had no concept of holding back, when really into it.

Gaara took another look at his sister, deeming her to be exhausted and much lower on chakra than she had been an hour ago, but was otherwise fine.

He then turned to Sakura, "If you are interested in a challenge, I would also like to spar you another day."

Temari raised her first at her brother, insult aimed at her pride.

Sakura, however, took in a deep breath as the serious nin spoke. The quiet son of Rasa, very serious and not someone she was especially close to, was requesting to spar.

She smiled in response, before nodding. "I would love to."

Gaara inclined his head, before leaving in a swirl of sand. The pinkette kept her eyes trained on where he was just standing, as if she was still surprised.

Temari walked over and lightly _bonked_ her on the head. She had an eyebrow quirked as she asked, "You good?"

"Totally." She responded, voice coming out high pitched and not-a-all naturally.

 _No way,_ Temari thought she observed the now flustered pinkette. Her dark green eyes traveled from the rosy flush on Sakura's cheeks to her dilated pupils, still trained at where her brother once stood.

 _It was just not possible._

"Alright, let's call it a day." Temari interrupted, obviously rising the pinkette out of her thoughts.

They silently nodded at one another, each woman releasing _shunshin_ further into the village and back to their respective homes.

Temari lingered in her doorway, a hand against the wood as she thought back to the display her friend just showed. And while the blonde was rooting for her Sasori from the start, a part of her wondered if maybe this was the shot of happiness that her brother rightly deserved.

Either that or the desert sun was finally frying her brain.

Not too far away, in a house also in the more aristocratic region of the village, Sakura deposited herself in the foyer of her temporary home. Nearby maids jumped into action at their guest, asking if she required any assistance.

Conceding this time, Sakura stated that she was planning on cleaning up via a bath and probably adorn herself with civilian clothes for the night. They had taken those as instructions, springing into different directions as they prepped the bathroom and prepared her garments.

Sakura sighed, but stayed put where she was standing.

"You can't blame them." A voice cut in, "You're barely ever home - that just makes them all the more eager to fulfill _something._ "

"Tayuya, a pleasure to see you again." Sakura greeted, pushing aside her comment.

The head housekeeper offered her own greetings, pausing before inquiring, "Am I right in assuming that the earlier village-wide tremor was your doing?"

Sakura sucked in a breath, then nodded.

"You really are such a strange woman." Tayuya commented, before turning in a different direction. "Should I instruct the maids to prepare your supper?"

"No, it's alright. Thank you." Sakura replied, "I feel like going out and picking something up."

Tayuya silently acknowledged her before walking off.

A different maid made their way to her, informing her that a warm bath had been drawn and was _eagerly_ awaiting her usage. Happy that she at least had hot water calling her name, Sakura walked toward the bathroom and silently closed the door behind her.

Her thoughts were lingering on the strangely intimate moment with the elusive red-head.

An hour later, the pinkette, now clean and in a more civilian Suna-appropriate dress, walked along the vendor stalls in the more crowded area of the marketplace. At her request, the maids had provided more climate-appropriate clothes, not just for the extreme temperature, but also to blend in with the crowd more easily. Before she had left her home, Sakura stared at herself in the mirror, considering the pale pastels that she was adorned with as opposed to her usual red dress.

And now, out in the marketplace, her clothes barely made the difference. Sakura felt the weight of dozens of eyes on her, now exponentially increased by her earlier display of strength. It was not enough that she was an infamous medic-nin, one rumored to be paired with their possible next Kazekage, but now she was the savage fighter who rocked the village.

Not that that last fact was untrue, but it was overwhelming to have that much tacked onto one person.

Sakura attempted to peruse the food stalls with a smile, not allowing the ensuing gossip and stares damper down on her night.

However, as she watched an older woman, a vendor selling dango, become startled at the sight of her, Sakura wondered if that would even be possible.

As she bit her lip, Sakura felt a tug on the edge of her garment.

A child, no more than six-years old with bright gold eyes and light brown hair greeted,"Hi, you have pink hair."

"Hello." She flashed him a kind expression, "Well, I got it from my parents."

"They say you helped saved my parents." The kid, blunt in his words, stated as if a question.

"It's possible since I work in the hospital." Sakura slowly enunciated before bending down to be eye-level with the child. "What's their names?"

He answered and continued, "My sister told me that their brain hurt and they had to get cut-up for it."

Sakura thought back, their names sinking in her mind and connecting it to the endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery a few weeks ago.

"I remember. How are they now?"

"Really good! They're a lot better, they even came out tonight!" The kid smiled, "I just wanted to say thank you!"

"Don't worry about it. If you ever need help, come to the hospital and we'll patch you up."

"Thanks!" He almost shouted back, "They were right about you."

"They?" Sakura asked as she stood to full height.

"You know, my sister and the other adults!" He stated as he turned around, "See you around, Haruno-san!"

"Wait!" She called out, trying to at least get the child's name. But his small stature allowed him to blend into the crowd easily, twisting around the bustling crowd and out of her line of sight.

The pinkette sighed, biting her lip as she turned back to the vendors. Even then, she felt multiple eyes still on her, as if scrutinizing her every word and action.

"Hello, kind stranger." A voice brought out, "Why don't you come join us? You look a little lost."

Sakura turned towards the greeting, seeing Sasori's mother extending a hand in a direction. It was the _same_ restaurant from that first night. She smiled, their favoritism and consistency reminding her of her blond best-friend back home, before thanking her and trailing behind the older woman.

Right before this, Sasori's mother watched as her son's eyes latched onto something in the crowd, following something or probably _someone_ as they walked along. Her, along with her husband, sat across from Sasori in the busy restaurant. She turned in her seat, her own eyes quickly catching up to the splash of pink against the sepia surroundings.

The mother smiled in silent recognition, noiselessly turning toward her son without any indicator that he had been caught.

However, it was no surprise that her son was not the only one whose attention was caught by the pinkette.

Sasori's mother watched as multiple pairs of eyes were drawn toward the poor Konoha-nin, mostly likely out of curiosity. Her son had told her that Sakura, even though a visitor, was constantly being pulled in every direction at the hospital. Not only was she subject to the gossip surrounding her son, but that of extreme elevation from her title as Lady Tsunade's apprentice. Sakura's last visit here earned her the label of a hero and from what Sasori's mother heard, she had lit a spark underneath the medical student's determination.

And Sakura had only been here a few weeks.

She was remembered as the woman who single-handedly saved the one-tail jinchūriki. And now Sakura was here, entrance loud and booming as she shook the village and stabbed an enthusiastic student.

And if the rumor mill was correct, the students were nearly _begging_ for unorthodox teaching style again.

A tendril of pity grew in the mother's chest, before turning to her son. "We should ask her to join us."

Sasori snapped his attention to his mother, attempting to seem casual. "Who?"

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Don't be so obtuse. Or would you prefer to wait and have her join someone else?"

Sasori's father, who he had expected to either cut the situation off there or disapprove, simply nodded before he continued to eat.

 _Traitors._

And while Sasori continued to deliberate the situation, his mother quickly got up from her seat and greeted the pinkette. When they returned, Sakura sitting next to her son, she mentally noted the better posture Sasori seemed to have.

"A pleasure to see you again." Sakura directed toward his father, then casually nodding in the younger red-head's direction.

"I'm glad you were able to join us, it's been awhile since we last sat down together." His mother attempted to comfort, gaining a smile from the pinkette.

"Thank you for the invitation." She replied, "But it's funny, Sasori and I have a habit of somehow seeing each other almost every day."

"So I've heard." The mother replied, her smile looking more like a mischievous smirk.

Sakura grimaced inwardly, her outward smile tightening at the corners. She recognized those words, earlier said to her by Gaara. A part of her wondered how close this family truly was - how much they told each other and how much of it was about _her?_

Sasori, on the other hand, did not like the direction of the conversation. Not wanting a repeat of last time, he was about to cut-in when his mother continued.

"While it's comforting to know we have a medic of your stature, I pity the amount of attention you've garnered."

The red-head watched his mother warily, but breathed a slight sigh of relief noting that the conversation was thankfully light. He waved over a waiter and ordered for the pinkette in one movement, neither women at the table noticing.

"Today didn't exactly help either." Sakura added, "I can only imagine what people think of me now."

"That you're a strong, formidable kunoichi." The mother waved it off, "Don't take it too seriously, you're still new. They'll get used to it."

"I just hope that day comes sooner."

"It's refreshing to have a kunoichi here who is both headstrong..." she dropped her voice to that of a whisper, "And not a complete recluse."

Sakura laughed, having plenty of her own experience with some of the strongest and yet socially inept ninja on the plant. "They say life is molded by your reactions - I just hope I can maintain who I am despite everything going on."

"I see." The mother noted with a small smile, "I hope my family is of good influence on you, then."

Sakura glanced at Sasori briefly, "Some of the best."

She nodded in response, noting her son's quiet and yet contemplative stature, before requesting. "Since we were not able to last time, I would love to get a spar in."

Sakura chuckled reluctantly, "Even after today?"

"Especially so." She responded, her smile dropping to a more mysterious smirk.

His father cut in this time, with a serious and yet teasing tone. "Don't underestimate us Suna Jōnin. We may not have fancy titles, but you're in our domain now."

"I wouldn't dare." Sakura defended with a smile, "I'm just happy that someone is willing to see me as I am and not what they hear."

His father regarded her with a quirked brow, one that Sasori understood as contemplative of her previous statement.

The waiter placed a traditional Suna-dish, a simmering chicken tagine, in front of Sakura, as well as a glass of cold iced tea to pair with her meal.

Confused, she turned to the waiter. "I didn't even order yet…"

"I ordered for you." Sasori answered, waving the equally discomfited employee away.

"What if I didn't want chicken today?"

Sasori scoffed. "Don't joke. Today _is_ Thursday."

Sakura bit back a remark in front of his parents, instead narrowing her eyes at him as she flashed him a warning look. Taking a bite of the dish, one that she probably would have ordered anyway, she enjoyed it in silence, not wanting to give Sasori the pleasure of knowing he was right.

She turned back to his mother instead, "I have some free time this weekend, if that works for you?"

The mother smiled back, "I appreciate your eagerness."

"She doesn't exactly have a lot of friends." Sasori stated.

Sakura, feeling the bounds of her annoyance, was about to bite back when his mother replied. "All the more reason to spend time with your friendly rival, right son?"

 _Damn,_ Sasori thought. _Had he really played right into her trap?_

And Sakura, in her eternal denseness and complete naivety, replied unknowingly. "No worries there. We already spend an inhumane amount of time fighting like a married couple."

 _Of all figures of speech…._ Sasori mused inwardly, watching as his mother's eyebrows quirked in unbidden excitement at the pinkette's comparison.

All the warning bells, similar to last time, signaled in his brain when his mother placed two hands on the table and smirked as she started, "Well, I meant in more intimate matters -"

"Outside of the poisons department!" He interrupted, a little too loudly to be considered casual.

His father glanced at him, an amused tilt seen at the corner of his lips. And his mother, Sasori did not even bother sparing her a peek, sure that there was a mischievous look on her face.

Sakura looked at him with a curious expression but answered, "We've had a few lunches together. No worries. Your son is being good."

Sasori was seconds from slamming his forehead down on the table.

"Alright, listen up." He started, but stopped seconds before continuing. Sasori sighed, looking at a point in the distance before sitting back in his chair.

The three table occupants look at him, urging him to continue, before an ANBU ninja cut into their conversation.

"Haruno-san, please come with me. You are needed at the hospital."

Sakura nodded, standing up immediately and bidding a quick farewell to Sasori's family. She placed money on the table, before the other occupants could stop her. They were gone just as quickly as the invader to their night.

The red-headed looked over at her plate. And sure enough, Sakura had only enjoyed a handful of bites, in what he assumed, her first real meal in at least twenty-four hours. He beckoned over a waiter again, requesting for them to pack the remainders in a to-go box.

He answered his mother's questioning eye, "I'll bring it to her when she's done."

She nodded with a gleam of approval, "As you should, she's a keeper."

"You don't even know her." Sasori scoffed.

"Which is exactly why I would love to spar and have her over for dinner."

Sasori paused, "Scratch that. She's a brat. End of story."

His mother rolled her eyes - it was rare to see such a contradictory, engaged Sasori when it came to the topic of another woman. He tended to brush women off with no other thought. Never before had he been so bothered, so easily incited at another kunoichi's words. And not only that Sasori was eagerly in her immediate radius.

After all, _he_ was the one who requested updates from Lady Chiyo about the hospital.

It was rare for him to truly be invested outside their family unit. And the fact that he was worried over Sakura's health and proper eating habits was enough sign to her and he was ready to invest more into her life.

Now it was just a matter of getting them to agree, his mother thought.

On the other side of the village, Sakura had her hands already completely covered in blood, walking quickly with a patient on a gurney. Her hand was wrist-deep in his chest, thoroughly examining the most injured area as the cardiatric attending followed along, inspecting the primary survey with wide-eyes.

Lady Chiyo, who was previously following behind her, was given a sample of the poison to make an antidote for in the meantime.

"Let me know if it seems familiar at all. And page Satō, two eyes might be of help here." Sakura ordered before getting whisked away into the closest OR.

A three-cell Jōnin team was on their way home, somewhat close to the border of Amegakure, when they were suddenly ambushed. Their assailants had simply left their bodies there, on the brink of death and bleeding out on the ground. Another Suna team had found them by pure chance, quickly bringing them home.

That set-off all sorts of warning bells in Sakura's mind, as if the assailant were issuing a challenge, maybe even a warning, to _them_.

Sakura noted their most pressing wounds: there were large lacerations on one of their chests, another with a single isolated wound but filled with poison, and the last who was missing his left side all the way up to his forearm.

They were all chakra-exhausted and drifting in and out of consciousness, poison infecting all three of them as their heart-rates minutely slowed with each passing minute.

Sakura delegated the last injured Jōnin to the chief - the missing appendage had, unfortunately and yet thankfully, simply cut off the poison from the source. And as such, that shinobi should be, in theory, in the least amount of fatal danger from poison.

"Where is the Ortho attending?" She asked a nurse.

"In surgery - he has a fellow with him."

If Sakura was not fully covered in blood, she would be pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Who the hell is on call?"

The nurse listed off a few names, but there was no way Sakura could pull and assign all those people for three surgeries. Who knew if there were multiple attacks that had yet to be discovered? They could not leave their other departments unattended.

"Page Takumi and Nakamura." She instructed to a resident.

The pinkette thought for a few seconds how she could save the other two's lives. The one still had his chest ripped open and the other was still slightly awake.

She followed along with the gurney, acting quickly to set a rib in the proper place while healing other similar bones back into one piece, rather than the shattered remains they were before. Sakura double-checked for diaphragmatic bleeding before moving on, putting her hands to his temples and feeling the nerves that contacted his entire body.

The cardiothoracic attending watched in stunned silence.

And while there was a rush of panic all around emergency and generally in the OR, he watched as Sakura treated the shinobi with experienced poise.

The chief stood the side, saying nothing as he watched Sakura handle the situation with a leveled-headed. Usually by now, Lady Tsunade or even Shizune would be barking out orders, delegating who and where everyone would be assigned. But Daito did no such thing, moving Sakura to briefly glance at him before taking action.

She turned to the Cardio attending, "Just in case, he needs a diagnostic laparoscopy for penetrating chest trauma. Take the other Ortho fellow and maybe two more residents and page me if you need anything else."

After a beat of admiration, he nodded at the pinkette and took the team with him into the other OR.

The pinkette then turned to Daito, asking in a neutral tone. "You got amputation?"

He nodded silently, taking his team as well.

Sakura walked into the ready operating room, washing her hands clean of his teammates blood as she examined the most poisoned patient through the glass enclosure, the area separating the scrub room to the OR. A resident had her hand over the patient's supposedly isolated wound, attempting to keep the poison in a single spot and not spread as quickly as before.

She delegated most of the staff to both the Chief and the Cardio attending. It was clear that they had struggled in the past with this exact situation, which left her no choice but to assign as much as she could to them for help as she attended to the worst patient.

Which left _her_ with a single nurse and two residents.

The pinkette walked out of the glass room and into the hallway, and seeing the growing crowd of eager faces, it was clear that many others had come to the same conclusion as her. And while she was glad for their enthusiasm, the hospital still had to run beyond the walls of the OR. Her two protégés joined the group, adorned in scrubs and hair wild from their run.

She pointed to two interns and then made eye contact with her chosen medical students, "Come in and assist."

Their faces of overall excitement were _cute,_ in Sakura's eyes.

She silently wondered how long that would last.

The pinkette bit her lip behind her mask, watching the poor Jōnin convulse in pain as the two nurses attempted to hold him down.

She walked around the surgical bed and strapped him down around the arms and legs, detailing to the nurses the ingredients she would need for a poison extraction. In the meantime, Sakura placed a hand on his forehead, moving her glowing-green hands to the wounds as she checked for internal bleeding and other symptoms of the poison. The pinkette was able to neutralize some blood clotting against the coastal surface of the lungs, before turning to the new additions to the room.

"Chakra-interns," Sakura addressed, looking at the two now scrubbed up for surgery. "Close the non-threatening wounds along the midclavicular line then make sure he stays in place."

One of them stopped in place, surprised at the sight. But why? Sakura was unsure. This was an OR, not a television show, they needed to act and act quickly. However, the gleam in one of their eyes was enough to make Sakura inwardly sigh - were they not ready for the real deal?

"Nakamura and Takumi, wound on his shoulder then monitor the primary survey, particularly the C-spine." Sakura continued to delegate, withholding her chakra since she would be doing most of the heavy lifting once the nurses returned.

Sakura turned to the resident, "On my mark, you are going to release your hand and prep for surgery. I'm going to teach you how to do the extraction, do you think you can handle it?"

The resident looked at their shaky hand, biting their lip as they felt the weight of everyone's attention on them. The only other sound in the room was the beep of a nearby monitor and the outcry of pain coming from the Jōnin.

The nurses returned with bowls and the proper ingredients for extraction. Sakura nodded to them in quiet thanks before turning back to the resident.

She shook her head before returning the gaze with a meek expression, lip quivering under her emerald gaze. "No, I can't."

The pinkette nodded, making a note internally about the resident, before turning to the other occupants.

Nakamura bit her lip while the other intern looked away. "I want to." Takumi voiced.

"But can you handle it?"

"Yes." There was no wavering in his voice.

Sakura regarded him for a single second, before motioning for Takumi to take the spot across from her. "Switch with the resident on my mark."

The pinkette counted down, carefully watching the exchange in her peripheral as her chakra flowed into the young Jōnin's body. Sakura motioned for him to put his hands over hers, to feel the flow as she did it. Her diagnostic searched found clotting along the anterior surface of the lung, as well as a foreign object around his axillary line.

"Listen to me." She directed toward Takumi, "You will remove the object and heal the area as quickly and carefully as you can."

The nurses, who had sat in on the chief performing the exact same procedure multiple times before, watched in stunned awe as the young kunoichi released the poison in droves. They were rushing about the room, sterilizing equipment and emptying bowls as Sakura confidently removed the poison. Her experience was obviously enough to have her working quickly and efficiently.

And while Sakura's initial extraction from Kankurō was impressive, the pinkette had time to build and refine that skill while back home in Konoha. Both Shizune and Rin had given her their personal advice to facilitate a less invasive and yet faster procedure. And after having been under both their supervision, Sakura was quite literally a pro.

Nakamura fought to keep her eyes on the Jōnin, the excruciating pain promulgating the minds of everyone in the room. Their loud yells and absolute cries of pain made each one listening wilt inside. However, there was no use - he had to be awake for this.

Up in the theater, Sakura spied the worried eyes of other interns - some biting their nails as others held their face in their hands.

Takumi, observed silently, simply feeling and observing the process. This was the highest risk patient with the most poison lodged in his body. And yet, Sakura was handling the situation with ease. So much so, that unless he had seen it with his own eyes, Takumi would not believe she basically single-handedly brought the jounin back.

While yes, the nurses were assisting and there were other hospital employees healing physical injuries - Sakura was extracting the poison completely on her own. Takumi was simply observing and taking mental notes on the process as she instructed him.

It was almost overwhelming - in his eyes.

Five hours and a fully exhausted team later, the patient was out of immediate danger. Sakura dismissed the team, basically commanding them to get some rest in case another attack was imminent. However, Takumi paused in the scrub room, watching as Sakura kept a glowing-green hand over the patient's chest - she was checking over _his_ work.

Her appearance gave off nothing, making him that much more worried as she exited the OR. Another group of nurses walked in, ready to take the patient to the ICU and free-up the operating room.

Ready to apologize for his enter life, Takumi was surprised when she had instead said, "Good work."

He smiled, "Thank you."

"I underestimated you." She confessed, "Get some rest, in case."

"Thank you…" He repeated, making the pinkette smile in response as she walked out of the scrub room.

And while she expected complete chaos the moment she hit the hallway, Sakura was surprised with a relatively normal scene. There were nurses and other interns milling about, checking in and the general bustle in and around the pits. This was not the post-attack scene she was worried about, Sakura thankfully noted.

She walked over to the nearby nurses' station. "The Jōnin with the chest laceration?"

"Still in surgery." They noted, motioning to the board.

Sakura nodded, walking toward the other operating room and scrubbing up again.

The Cardio attending took one glance at her before motioning Sakura over, "I can't pin-point where this is and I don't want to leave the poison to just flush out."

Sakura lifted her new surgical mask, covering her face as a resident tightened her surgical dress.

 **xXxXxXxXx**

The pinkette sat in the chief's office, her head in her hands with her elbows against her knees, as she recalled the past couple hours. The chest laceration ended up taking another five hours, the Jōnin had unfortunately coded midway through the surgery. When the Ortho fellow scrubbed in, the pinkette waved him off to join the Chief instead.

Instead, he had informed her that their surgery was done and they were the last ones in action. So, Sakura had assumed that the third patient was already in the ICU, dozing away safely, and that they were just the last ones still in surgery.

And boy, had she been wrong.

A few hours ago, Sakura and the two attendings walked out of the room successfully, the two older gentleman commending her for her skill as they walked toward the on-call room. While she was not the chief nor was she placed, officially, at the top of the hierarchy, Sakura led the surgery and the overall situation like a pro. The pinkette smiled, feeling just on the cusp of mental and chakra exhaustion. Ten hours of back-to-back surgery, she wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

However, Sakura wanted to do proper post-op and walked over to the nurses' station, to request the three Jōnin's charts.

The nurse rifled through the pile, handing two over before stating. "I'm sorry, we've already passed on the file of the amputated patient."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, "Passed on?"

"Yes, mortuary took his file an hour ago."

It was as if the air was stolen from her chest.

"When did he pass?"

The nurse flipped through a log book, "Five minutes after one."

Sakura did the mental math, she had just been out of her surgery at that point. However, she was the one who _chose_ to follow-up with the laceration victim. Would things have ended up different if she were present? Were there complications during surgery, like they had faced?

She had a flurry of questions raging around her mind, but that did not change the fact that they had lost someone.

The pinkette felt her feet guide her to the chief's room after, surely there was an explanation of what occurred.

She did not even have to knock.

"The look on your face shows you know." Daito greeted, his hands folded beneath his chin while sitting at his desk.

Sakura stepped into the office and took a seat, "What happened?"

"I thought most of the poison was from the amputated appendage." He trailed off.

"As did I." Sakura responded after a few seconds.

"It gained access to a vein and traveled up the coronary artery." He shook his head, leaning back in his chair as he did. "We were too late."

"I'm so sorry for you loss." Sakura scooted her chair closer, "Did you know him personally?"

"Yes. And in a few hours, I'll have to tell his mother and siblings that _I_ am the one who lost him." His voice hardened towards the end, "I have to live every day, seeing them at the market and know that _I_ am the one who lost their son."

"Once it reaches that point, there's nothing you can really do." Sakura reasoned.

"Nothing _I_ could have done, exactly." He emphasized, before raising an upturned hand in her direction. "Perhaps if it was someone different."

The pinkette did not like this train of thinking. And while she wanted to alleviate Daito's concerns, it was clear that the weight of the loss was affecting him. There would be no real reasoning with him, at least not right now.

Sakura pursed her lips. "Do you have a list of how many we've lost as of late to the poison attacks?"

"Yes, there's been five in three months."

The pinkette sat back in her seat, letting the information sink in to her heart and mind. Five loved ones - mothers, daughters, sons and fathers - everyone was affected and it did not seem to be getting better. Meanwhile, Konoha had not lost anyone since Orochimaru's initial attack.

Why had they not petitioned for aid sooner?

And now, presently, Sakura had the full picture in her mind. The situation was really _that critical -_ to the point of facing life or death stages from attacks. How much worse would it truly be if multiple teams were poisoned? Or, had that already happened, garnering the need for Suna to petition Konoha for help?

She took a breather, taking it one step at a time.

"Would you be able to send that to me?" Sakura asked, referring to the list of those they lost.

"Of course." Daito responded, looking out the window for a second before sitting up. "I'll have to prepare what to say to them."

"I understand." Sakura nodded as she got up from her seat. "But please, get some rest or some food. We need you too."

Her words surprised him, if his wide-eyes were any indicator. Daito nodded in response, a small hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, before Sakura made her way out of his office.

Closing the door behind her, she took a deep breath before unlocking her office just across the hall.

Sakura placed her hands on the desk - why had Daito not said anything before?

She was so preoccupied with other departments and secondary duties with other attendings - why had no one conferred to her how fatal the situation had been so far? There was so much to do with even less time to do it. And all Sakura wanted to do right at that moment was to fall into a bed and sleep for at least a day.

Head still spinning from near chakra-exhaustion, Sakura blamed her inattentiveness on her condition.

There was a small _ahem_ behind her, in one of the seats, causing her to whip around with a chakra-laced fist.

Chakra-strings shot out immediately, easily overpowering her worn-out stature.

"Sakura, you walked right past me." Sasori noted, hints of a confused look on his face. He dropped the strings the moment she recognized him, instead walking toward her in concern.

If not for her mental state, Sakura would have blushed at his use of her name. She could not recall the last time he had even used it, rather than a nickname or just ' _you there.'_

"The nurses said you hadn't clocked out after ten hours of surgery." He partially explained, guestering his head toward a take-out box of food in the seat he previously occupied. She recognized the logo instantly.

"We lost one."

And for the first time in their lives, _Sasori took Haruno Sakura_ into his arms to comfort her.


End file.
